The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is all set for the maiden launch of its indigenously made ‘space shuttle’. ISRO’s scientists at Sriharikota are, at the moment, giving the space shuttle named RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator) its final touches before launch.
If all goes well, Sriharikota will witness the launch before monsoon this year.
Scientists at ISRO believe that the solution to reduce expenses related to launching satellites is to reuse launch vehicles. According to them, once they master the technology, the cost would significantly reduce to as much as $2000 per kilogram.
The launch is first of its kind by ISRO and if successful the shuttle would be glided back to a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal. The RLV-TD is unlikely to be recovered from the sea during this experiment as it is expected that the vehicle will disintegrate on impact with water as it is not designed to float.
The purpose of this experiment is to glide and navigate the shuttle, which would be at a velocity five times higher than the speed of sound, onto the virtual runway 500 kilometre off the coast in Bay of Bengal.
“These are just the first baby steps towards the big Hanuman leap,” TheIndian Express quoted Dr K. Sivan, director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Center in Thiruvananthapuram.
However, designing the final version of the space shuttle would take at least 10 to 15 years, as it really is rocket science!
