PUSHPAK RLV

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The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) said it successfully conducted the landing experiment of Pushpak Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) at Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga district in Karnataka.

What is Pushpak RLV?

• Pushpak RLV is designed as an all-rocket, fully reusable Single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle, incorporating advanced elements from previous demonstrators like the X-33, X-34, and the upgraded DC-XA.
• A RLV is a vehicle that is launched into space many times. As the vehicle can be used for many relaunches, it goes a long way in mitigating costs.
• The idea behind RLV is to regain super expensive rocket boosters that are used for launching spacecraft.
• It could be later used to refuel and reuse in space flights.
• These launch vehicles are equipped with additional protection such as heat shields, grid fins, and other flight control surfaces.
• They weigh more compared to the expendable counterparts because of additional avionics and propellant. The shape of the spaceplane is also modified to support the recovery process.
• The RLV that ISRO is building has only two stages to propel the vehicle into orbit.
• Once the fuel in the first stage has been expended, the vehicle will shed it, and carry on with the second stage.
• Once it has been shed, the first stage will re-enter the atmosphere and land in an autonomous fashion at a pre-determined location. After some maintenance, it will be available for reuse.
• ISRO had successfully conducted previous RLV missions in 2016. The experiment involved sending a winged spacecraft on a rocket powered by conventional solid booster (HS9) engine used by ISRO into space.