Another feather in ISRO’s cap, third landing test of RLV a success

BENGALURU: The third landing test of India's indigenously developed reusable space launch vehicle is a success. This is another feather in the space agency’s cap. The first two tests of the reusable launch vehicle (RLV) were successful. The test was conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka at around 7 am Sunday. The information was released by ISRO through X.

The RLV named 'Pushpak' was lifted into the air by an Air Force Chinook helicopter. The RLV was freed at a height of four and a half kilometers above ground level and four kilometers from the runway where it was supposed to land. It would then find the right direction and approach the runway safely and make a precise horizontal landing on the runway center line. The landing speed was 320 km. However, the speed of the vehicle was reduced to 100 km/h using the brake parachute and the speed was reduced again using the landing gear brakes. ISRO itself was developing its own direction-finding system.

Just In | #ISRO performed its third and final Landing Experiment of Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) LEX on June 23, 2024. pic.twitter.com/aVshwijbvv

— ISRO InSight (@ISROSight) June 23, 2024

Orbital Re-Entry Vehicle-- The next step is to land the ORV (Orbital Reentry Vehicle) on Earth. Since the first time, the same vehicle is being used for the landing test. This is to retain the name Relaunch Vehicle.

Similar to America's space shuttle, Pushpak is the size of an SUV. The first test was in last year. The second was in last March. ISRO Chairman S Somnath congratulated the members for making the mission a success. J Muthupandyan is the mission director. B Karthik is the vehicle director.

Hat-trick for ISRO in RLV LEX! 🚀

🇮🇳ISRO achieved its third and final consecutive success in the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing EXperiment (LEX) on June 23, 2024.

"Pushpak" executed a precise horizontal landing, showcasing advanced autonomous capabilities under… pic.twitter.com/cGMrw6mmyH

— ISRO (@isro) June 23, 2024