Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission
ISRO successfully conducted the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX) at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka. This was ISRO's second test after the Hypersonic Flight Experiment (HEX). The 6.5 m long smaller prototype of the reusable launcher was carried to an altitude of 4.5 km by a Chinook helicopter of the Indian Air Force. On reaching the required altitude and achieving the correct preset parameters, the RLV was released autonomously.
The RLV then autonomously manoeuvred, landed and landed on the extended runway at the Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range, which was specially built for the test. ISRO collaborated with DRDO and Indian Air Force for this test. Several new state-of-the-art technologies such as Pseudolite System, Ka-band radar altimeter, NAVIC receiver, indigenous landing gear, aerofoil honey-comb fins and brake parachute system were used and demonstrated in this mission.
Purpose of RLV-LEX
Lex was the second test flight of the reusable launch vehicle that was developed by India. The objectives of the test flight included:
- Simulating the exact conditions of landing of a Space Re-entry Vehicle - high speed, unmanned, autonomous, precise landing along the same return path.
- Validating landing parameters such as velocity relative to ground, landing gear sink rate and precision body rate as might be experienced by an orbital re-entry spacecraft on its return path.
After the successful completion of the mission, ISRO Chairman S. Somnath told the media that they are currently planning to conduct more such landing tests to check the preparedness of the software and hardware under different conditions. The next series of experiments to be conducted after the landing experiment include the Re-Orbital Flight Experiment (REX) and the Scramjet Propulsion Experiment (SPEX).
About Reusable Launch Vehicle :-
Reusable launch vehicle has parts that can be recovered and reflown from the surface while carrying a payload to outer space. Rocket stages are the most common launch vehicle part intended for reuse. Small parts such as rocket engines and boosters can also be reused, although reusable spacecraft may be launched on top of an expensive launch vehicle. Reusable launch vehicles do not need to manufacture these parts for each launch, therefore significantly reducing their launch costs. However, these benefits are outweighed by the cost of recovery and refurbishment.
Reusable launch vehicles may include additional avionics and propellant, making them heavier than their consumable counterparts. Reused parts may need to enter the atmosphere and navigate through it, so they are often equipped with heat shields, grid fins, and other flight control surfaces.