The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) hit another milestone on Sunday after successfully conducting the third and final Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing Experiment (LEX). This was the third and final test in the series of LEX(03) and was conducted at 7:10 IST at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka.
ISRO took to X, formally known as Twitter to share the news. “ISRO achieved its third and final consecutive success in the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing EXperiment (LEX) on June 23, 2024,” the space agency wrote on X.
“Pushpak” executed a precise horizontal landing, showcasing advanced autonomous capabilities under challenging conditions. With the objectives of RLV LEX accomplished, ISRO embarks into RLV-ORV, the orbital reusable vehicle,” the statement further reads.
About the test
The winged vehicle named Pushpak, was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km. According to ISRO, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvers, approached the runway and performed a precise runway landing at the runway centerline.
The mission attempted to stimulate high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle that was returning from space. Not only this, the RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems from the LEX-02 mission, demonstrating the robustness of Isro’s capability of design to reuse flight systems for multiple missions.
During the ground roll phase, Pushpak utilised its rudder and nose wheel steering system to autonomously maintain a stable and precise ground roll along the runway.
The mission is a collaborative effort between multiple Isro centres, the Indian Air Force, and other organisations. The mission was led by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). After the news of the successful landing ISRO Chairman S. Somanath congratulated the team for their efforts in maintaining the success streak.
The Indian Air Force also took to X to share the visuals from the test mission. “AF congratulates @isro on successful demonstration of the autonomous landing capability of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) ‘PUSHPAK’ as part of its RLV-LEX 3 mission,” the IAF wrote on X. “@IAF_MCC will continue its firm collaboration with @isro in marking many such successful milestones in future,” the statement further reads.
Link to article –
Hat-Trick for ISRO: Pushpak succeeds in third and final RLV landing experiment
