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.
Pakistan: Polio cases increasing continuously in Pakistan, a campaign started again
A new nationwide anti-polio campaign was launched in Pakistan on Monday. This campaign has been s
Havoc is yet to come! Corona's active cases can reach 50 lakhs by May 15 in the country
In the second wave of Coronavirus infection in the country, many people are dying daily. The numb
England cricket team defeated India by 26 runs in the third T20 International match. In this matc
Modi's Seychelles, Mauritius, Sri Lanka visit begins on Tuesday
New Delhi, March 9 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi will embark on Tuesday on a five-day vis
The country received 86,703 cases of corona infection in 24 hours and recovered 87,458 people. Wi
UGC Admission Warning: The University Grants Commission (UGC) has issued a warning to the student
Why arrest boy for Facebook comment, SC asks UP
New Delhi, March 20 (IANS) The Supreme Court on Friday asked the Uttar Pradesh government why w
The situation is getting worse now with the floods in Pakistan. Now there is a danger of infectio
Budget session's first phase likely to be extended
New Delhi, March 18 (IANS) The first phase of the ongoing budget session is likely to be extend
The number of corona patients in the country has increased to 46 lakh 54 thousand 416. Within the
