RLV-TD Landing Experiment: Another leap of ‘self-reliant India’ is about to take place in space, which will give unmatched strength to the country as well as reduce the cost of space missions. The much awaited Space Shuttle ‘Reusable Launch Vehicle’ (RLV-TD) is going to be Landing Experiment (LEX) towards the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO). ISRO Chairman Dr. S. Somanath informed that the landing experiment of RLV will happen on Saturday (January 28).
The date of landing experiment of this vehicle has been announced many times. According to reports, the RLV will be taken to a height of up to four kilometers with the help of a helicopter and then dropped from there for landing. After this, this vehicle will glide itself and will land while navigating towards the runway of the airfield fixed for it. The defense runway at Challakere in Karnataka has been selected for landing.
Why is RLV special?
According to reports, as its name suggests – Reusable Launch Vehicle (re-use vehicle), it is an Orbital Re-entry Vehicle (ORV) (Vehicle to re-enter Earth’s orbit). . It is completely indigenous. It is believed that if all the tests of this vehicle are successful, it will be able to launch satellites and destroy enemy satellites by targeting them.
(Image Courtesy: @Vishesh03625993,
Through this vehicle Directed Energy Weapon (DEW) (weapons that penetrate targets with energy beam) can be operated. This vehicle will be able to do this work from space, that is, it will be in the role of a disaster for the enemies. With its success, there will be a change in the way of war, such a possibility is being expressed. ISRO has set a target of making the RLV project a success by 2030.
How will the cost of space mission be saved?
Right now rockets are used for satellite launch. There is a heavy cost in this. RLV is being prepared in such a way that it can take the satellite into space, return safely from there and then prepare it for the next mission. It is believed that this will reduce the cost of satellite launch by 10 percent. It is being said that in the coming time, with its advanced version, astronauts will also be able to travel in space.
Which countries have this space shuttle?
America, Russia, China and France are said to have this space shuttle. Russia had made such a space shuttle in the year 89 but it is said that it flew only once. The space shuttle being built in India is currently made six times smaller than the proposed size for use. If the test is successful, it will take its real shape in future.
How was the first test of RLV?
In May 2016, for the first time, RLV was made to fly hypersonic (five times the speed of sound) by adding it to a rocket, then it went up to an altitude of 65 kilometers and landed in the Bay of Bengal. Its six and a half meter long version is said to weigh 1.75 tonnes.
At present, RLV is a two stage to orbit (TSTO) concept vehicle. Think of it like this that in the first stage the winged RLV is itself and in the second stage it is attached to a rocket. The rocket is meant to take it into orbit around the Earth. The target is to make it a first stage vehicle in the future.
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