
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 country with the largest population of Muslims bluntly criticized Israel
After all, it has been proved that US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who visited Indonesia la
Cyclone Amphan: Heavy destruction in Bengal, 12 killed, 5200 houses damaged, uprooted trees
Kolkata / Bhubaneswar / New Delhi, Agencies / Bureau. Hurricane Amphon in the Bay of Bengal hit t
Increase in Passengers at Kerala Airports
Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 28 (IANS) Kerala, which has three international airports, saw an increa
SBI reduced interest on savings account by 0.05%, ICICI Bank reduced 0.25%
Mumbai
State Bank of India (SBI) has reduced the annual interest rate on savings bank acc
Mumbai: Because of the increasing threat of Corona, the Maharashtra government has announced a ni
Human Rights Week is being celebrated across the world from 10 December. In which voice is being
There is tension on the India-Pakistan international border after India's Operation Sindoor on Pa
We were very motivated for the contest: De Villiers
Sydney, March 18 (IANS) On a high after winning their cricket World Cup quarter-final match aga
After the encounter of Anuj Pratap Singh, a one lakh prize of one lakh of the Sultanpur robbery c
The cases of coronavirus infection have reduced significantly in the country and the havoc of the