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.
A test match will be played between India and England from July 1. This match was to be played on
There is a continuous increase in the cases of corona (COVID-19) in Delhi. After getting 331 new
With the growing popularity of digital payments in India, many users now rely on multiple UPI app
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddiqui was shot dead in Mumbai on Saturday night.
The CBI will present Manish Sisodia, arrested in the Delhi Liquor Policy case, in Delhi's Rouse A
It is the last day of nomination for the post of National President of Congress. All potential ca
Karnataka CM Basavaraj Bommai presented the budget for the financial year 2023-24 in the House. H
For two consecutive days, the word free has come in Modi's tongue. On Monday, referring to Azad H
In Haryana, an order has been issued by the Education Department to open schools for the students
If we were to compile a list of the most anticipated films of 2026, the first name on the list wo
