The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully demonstrated the landing of the Pushpak reusable launch vehicle for the third time on Sunday, bringing it one step closer to using the vehicle for an orbital mission. ISRO achieved its third and final consecutive success in the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing EXperiment (LEX) on June 23, 2024. To bring down launch costs and to remain competitive, the reusable launch vehicle is designed to take satellites up to space and return and land on a runway like an aeroplane. “This mission simulated the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, reaffirming ISRO’s expertise in acquiring the most critical technologies required for the development of a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV),” the space agency said. Sunday’s demonstration validated one of the critical technologies needed for the reusable launch vehicle—an advanced algorithm for correcting longitudinal and lateral plane errors.

Source: Indian Express June 23, 2024 17:35 UTC