samlove
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- May 4, 2013
- Messages
- 1,328
- Reaction score
- 2
- Country
- Location
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is preparing for the much-anticipated launch of the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) which is a scaled-down model of the proposed space shuttle by the end of October-November this year.
construction of the space plane portion of RLV-TD is in its final phase at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) with the targeted first orbital flight of full Scale unmanned Hyperplane is proposed for 2025.
The mission which seems futuristic and crucial for India’s future Space mission will significantly cut down launch cost was visioned by APJ Abdul Kalam nearly 3 decades back.
APJ Abdul Kalam then Director of Defence Research & Development Laboratory (DRDL) at Hyderabad had said that Indian Scientist are capable enough to develop a futuristic ” Hyperplane” which could lower Satellite launch cost for India.
Hyperplane or Hypersonic platform which Kalam visioned could take-off from any airport for an air-breathing ascent to near earth orbit, then enter space for a satellite launch or contact with an orbiting space station and finally return to earth for a horizontal landing .
For first RLV-TD experimental flight, Isro plans to use a scale model weighing 1.5 tonnes, which be placed on top of a PSLV launch vehicle which will fly up to a height of 70 kilometres before dropping down to the Bay of Bengal.
In the first phase of testing, RLV-TD experiments platform will be recovered only by water landing and in next phase RLV-TD model will be dropped from an aircraft to carry out landing experiments.
Isro plans to build and use Special long runways for future RLV missions and currently developing an air-breaking engine which will be used on the Scaled platform. the first RLV-TD experimental flight this year by ISRO will be first steps towards the vision Scientist like Kalam had dreamed about India’s Space missions
