The Indian Space Research Organization has announced its intention to develop a full-fledged reusable space shuttle after the successful third landing of the RLV-LEX experimental mini-shuttle.
About this informs The Register.
RLV-LEX, which is a scaled-down version of NASA’s Space Shuttle or Boeing’s X-37, has successfully completed its third test flight, demonstrating a precision landing at over 320 km/h.
The mission used the same spacecraft and on-board systems as the second test flight, another major advance toward a reusable vehicle.
So far, the terms of RLV-ORV development and launch have not been announced.
However, India is already planning the following important missions:
- “Vyommitra”: Launch of a humanoid robot to test the manned mission “Gaganyan”. The launch is expected later this year.
- “Gaganyaan”: A manned mission to deliver three Indian astronauts into low Earth orbit. The launch is planned for 2025.
The repeated use of the apparatus and on-board systems confirmed their reliability and became an important step in the development of reusable space technologies.
It is noted that the successful test gave IRSO the necessary experience for the future orbital mission and was the impetus for the development of a full-fledged reusable orbital vehicle RLV-ORV.
This experimental device is called RLV-LEX (Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing EXPeriment) and is a small version of the space shuttle of the NASA Space Shuttle program, or the Boeing X-37 space plane of the US Air Force. The device first flew in April 2023, and then again in March 2024.
