Pushpak RLV aircraft successfully tested.

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has successfully test-fired the Landing Experiment (LEX) 02 of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) named “Pushpak” from Chitradurga Challakere, Andhra Pradesh on 22 March 2024.

About Pushpak RLV Aircraft

• The name of this rocket is derived from the ‘Pushpak Vimana’ mentioned in Ramayana, which was the vehicle of Kubera, the god of wealth.
• Pushpak is a reusable launching aircraft. It is a plane that looks like an airplane with wings.
• Its length is 6.5 meters and weight is 1.75 tonnes. This aircraft is equipped with robotic landing capability.
• The onboard navigation system is capable of landing at a high speed of 350 kilometers per hour to overcome obstacles around the runway.
• Pushpak aircraft uses state-of-the-art technology including navigation hardware and software, Ka-band radar altimeter, navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC) receiver, sensors, indigenous landing gear and aerofoil honeycomb wings etc.

Launch Details:

• The delta wing RLV (Pushpak) was launched by Indian Air Force helicopter Chinook at 7.10 am from a distance of 4 km from the runway and an altitude of 4.5 km.
• The launch vehicle automatically approached the runway, made cross-range corrections, and landed precisely using its brake parachute, landing gear brakes, and nose wheel steering system.

Objective:

• To develop technologies required for reusable launch vehicles.
• The aim is to enable low-cost access to space.

Importance:

• This is India’s bold attempt to make space access more affordable.
• Being reusable, it will reduce debris in space. Later it will also help in refueling a satellite in space or bringing it back for repair.

Cost : The cost of the Pushpak project is estimated to be more than Rs 100 crore.

Note : ISRO had successfully conducted previous RLV missions in the year 2016 and April 2023. Following the first RLV-LEX-01 mission, slated for 2023, RLV-LEX-02 demonstrated autonomous landing capability to RLV off-nominal initial conditions upon release from a Chinook helicopter.

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