
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.
The People Of Tabligi Jamaat Are Threatening The Doctors, Saying - We Do Not Need To Recruit
People who have joined the Tabligi Jamaat are constantly becoming a problem for health workers an
Amazon Great Indian Festival Sale: The best deals on the best touchscreen laptops from HP, Dell,
There has been anger and resentment across the country ever since the video of two women being pa
The Defense Minister is giving information about the helicopter accident in Coonoor in Parliament
Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge, and Adhir Ranjan Choudhary will not attend the
Prime Minister Narendra Modi reached Kashi on Friday. He reached the public meeting place at Mehd
Covid-19: Worst health and economic crisis in the last 100 years: RBI Governor
Covid-19 is the worst health and economic crisis in the last 100 years. This has resulted in unpr
Neeraj Chopra Breaks Silence After Silver Medal: 'I'm Still Not at 100%'—Reveals Why He Missed Gold
India's Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra admitted that he is still not 100% fit after clinching the
NITI Aayog has released the Annual Health Index for 2019-20. In the index, the states are ranked
BBC documentary on rapist uploaded on YouTube
New Delhi, March 5 (IANS) A controversial BBC documentary