
New Delhi, March 4 (IANS) India will conduct a test flight of a reusable launch vehicle by the second quarter of this year to reduce the cost of satellite launches, union minister Jitendra Singh said on Wednesday.
Replying to a question in the Lok Sabha, the minister of state for department of space said the rocket's 1.5-tonne technology demonstrator would be lofted to a height of 70 km using solid booster to attain five times the speed of sound.
"The reusable launch vehicle's technology demonstrator (RLV-TD) will descend by gliding and splashing down into the sea. The test flight will demonstrate the hypersonic aerodynamics characteristics, avionics system, thermal protection system, control system and mission management," Singh told the lawmakers.
The state-run Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has taken steps to develop the next generation launch vehicle GSLV MkIII for placing four-tonne class communication satellites into geo-synchronous transfer orbit and bring down the cost of satellite launches.
"Developing reusable rockets is a challenge, as it involves many cutting-edge technologies. The magnitude of cost reduction depends on the development and realisation of fully reusable launch vehicle and its degree of reusability," Singh added.
The space agency had conducted the maiden test flight of GSLV MkIII on December 18, 2014 with a crew module from its spaceport at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, about 90 km northeast of Chennai.
Five minutes after the launch, the heavy rocket ejected the 3.7-tonne crew module at a height of 126 km for its re-entry into the earth's atmosphere and descent in the Bay of Bengal near Andaman and Nicobar islands.
Corona Cases In India: The cases of corona in the country have started increasing once again. The
Chandrapuram Ponnusamy Radhakrishnan was sworn in as the 15th Vice President of India on Friday.
Odisha monk campaigns to save indigenous cow
Puri (Odisha), March 25 (IANS) A monk in Odisha has launched a campaign to save the state's nati
Why questions are being raised on Russia's corona vaccine Sputnik-V, why the world is not convinced
The coronavirus is the first worldwide vaccine to be released around 9 months after the global pa
Rajya Sabha Elections 2022: Today is the last date for filing nomination papers for two Rajya Sab
Captain Miller Box Office Collection Day 3: Many films have been released this Makar Sankranti. F
Vijayapriya, a disciple of India's fugitive Nithyananda, had said in the UN meeting held in Genev
OnePlus launches new smart TV at an initial price of Rs 12,999, will compete with
New Delhi: Smartphone companies are now starting to launch cheap televisions in India, now after
Raj Thackeray's party, Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS), is once again in controversy, and this t
Kolkata: The health of Sourav Ganguly, president of BBCI and former cricket captain, has again de