For this purpose, a winged
reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator (
RLV-TD) has been configured. The RLV-TD acted as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies like powered cruise flight,
hypersonic flight, and autonomous landing using air-breathing propulsion. Application of these technologies would bring down the launch cost by a factor of 10.[4] This project has no connection with the
Avatar spaceplane concept by India's
Defence Research and Development Organisation.[5]
History
In 2006 the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) performed a series of ground tests to demonstrate stable supersonic combustion for nearly 7 seconds with an inlet Mach number of 6.[6]
In March 2010, ISRO conducted the flight testing of its new sounding rocket: Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV-D01), weighing 3 tonnes at lift-off, a diameter of .56 m (1 ft 10 in), and a length of ~10 m (33 ft).[7] It carried a passive scramjet engine combustor module as a test-bed for demonstration of air-breathing propulsion technology.[8]
In January 2012, ISRO announced that a scaled prototype, called Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), was approved to be built and tested.[9] The aerodynamics characterization on the RLV-TD prototype was done by
National Aerospace Laboratories in India. The RLV-TD is in the last stages of construction by a Hyderabad-based private company called CIM Technologies. The fixed landing gear for the RLV-TD was supplied by Timetooth Technologies. The full-scale RLV is expected to use retractable landing gear.[10]
On August 28, 2016, ISRO successfully tested its scramjet engine on second developmental flight of its Advanced Technology Vehicle ATV-D02 from the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre for 28 August 2016.[14][15] The scramjet engine will be integrated to the RLV at a later stage of development.[16]
In January 2012, the design of ISRO's
reusable launch vehicle was approved by the National Review Committee and clearance was granted to build the vehicle. The vehicle was named 'Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator' (RLV-TD).[18] ISRO aims to bring down the cost of
payload delivery to
low Earth orbit by 80% from existing $20,000/kg to $4,000/kg.[19][20][21]
The RLV-TD was developed with an objective to test various aspects such as
hypersonic flight,
autoland, powered
cruise flight, hypersonic flight using the
air-breathing enginepropulsion and Hypersonic Experiment. A series of four RLV-TD test flights are planned by ISRO:[18][22][23] HEX (Hypersonic Flight Experiment), LEX (Landing Experiment), REX (Return Flight Experiment) later renamed to OREX (Orbital Return Flight Experiment), and SPEX (Scramjet Propulsion Experiment).
A team of 750 engineers at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre,
National Aeronautical Laboratory, and
Indian Institute of Science worked on the design and development of RLV-TD and the associated rocket. RLV-TD underwent 120 hours of
wind tunnel, 5,000 hours of
computational fluid dynamics and 1,100 runs of
flight simulation tests. RLV-TD has mass of 1.75 tonnes,
wingspan of 3.6 meters and overall length of 6.5 meters (excluding the rocket). The vehicle had 600 heat-resistant tiles on its undercarriage and it features
delta wings and angled
tail fins.[24][25] Total cost of the project was ₹95 crore (equivalent to ₹137 crore or US$16.4 million in 2023).[26][27] Future planned developments include testing an air-breathing propulsion system, which aims to capitalise on the oxygen in the atmosphere instead of liquefied oxygen while in flight.[28]
On 3 March 2010, ISRO successfully conducted the
flight test of its new sounding rocket ATV-D01 from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre in
Sriharikota. ATV-D01 weighed 3 tonnes at lift-off and was the heaviest sounding rocket ever developed by ISRO at the time. It was mounted with a passive
Scramjet engine. The
rocket flew for 7 seconds, achieved
Mach number 6 + 0.5 and dynamic pressure 80 + 35
kPa.[29][30]
RLV TD Experiments
Hypersonic Flight Experiment
For Japan's Hypersonic Flight Experiment, see
HYFLEX.
The Reusable Launch Vehicle Hypersonic Flight Experiment or RLV HEX was the first test flight in the RLV Technology Demonstration Programme. HEX was successfully conducted on 23 May 2016.[2][31][32] RLV-TD consists of a fuselage (body), a nose cap, double delta wings and twin vertical rudders. It has active control surfaces called Elevons and Rudders.[32] Apart from the twin rudders it is similar in shape and operation to a small Space Shuttle Orbiter. TDV uses 600 or so heat resistant silica tiles and Flexible External Insulation, nose-cap is made out Carbon-Carbon composite with SiC coating. The leading edges of twin rudders are Inconel-718, wing leading edges of 15CDV6.[33][34][35][36][37][38]
HEX was the first test flight of a reusable launch vehicle developed by India. The test flight objectives included:[39]
Validating the aerodynamic design characteristics during
hypersonic flight
Characterize induced loads during the hypersonic descent through the atmosphere
Assess the performance of the
carbon fibre used in construction of the nose of the vehicle
Demonstrate first stage separation sequencing
The vehicle was tracked during its flight from ground stations at Sriharikota and a shipborne terminal. The total flight duration from launch to
splashdown lasted about 773.6 seconds.[40] The unit was not planned to be recovered.[41][42] ISRO plans to construct an airstrip greater than 4km long in
Sriharikota island in the "near future". Critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance & control, reusable thermal protection system, and descent mission management were validated in this flight.[43]
Landing Experiment
The Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing Experiment or RLV-LEX was the second test flight in the RLV Technology Demonstration Programme following the Hypersonic Flight Experiment. The demonstration trials will pave the way for the
two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) fully reusable launch vehicle. Furthermore, more test similar to RLV-LEX will be conducted to test other conditions like wind, different failure conditions and other factors to finalise the testing of the vehicle.[44]
RLV-LEX-01
RLV-LEX was successfully conducted on 2 April 2023 at the
Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range.[45] The flight took off at 7:10 AM and was released mid-air at a downrange of 4.6 km. The Vehicle landed at about 7:40 AM
Simulating the exact conditions of a Space Re-entry vehicle's landing - high speed, unmanned, autonomous, precise landing from the same return path
Validating the landing parameters such as the ground relative velocity, the sinking rate of landing gears and precise body rates as might be experienced by an orbital re-entry space vehicle on its return path
After the successful completion of the mission,
S. Somanath, chairman of
ISRO, said to the media that they are currently planning to conduct more such landing tests to check the readiness of software and hardware under different conditions. The reported test will include the vehicle being dropped from an altitude of about 4.5 kilometres and at a lateral difference following which the vehicle must automatically guide itself for a landing.[47] The test will now be retroactively referred to as RLV-LEX-01
RLV-LEX-02
Another landing experiment was conducted at Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range on 22 March 2024.[48] Four kilometres from the runway, at a height of 4.5 km, the Boeing CH-47 Chinook of Indian Air Force hoisted and released the test vehicle. The vehicle had to correct both cross-range and down-range deviations before landing autonomously on the runway due to the experiment's more difficult manoeuvres and dispersions.[49] The vehicle used its
nosewheel steering system, landing gear brakes, and
drogue parachute to help it come to a precise halt on the runway after making the required cross-range modifications. RLV-LEX-02 made use of the same Flight Demonstrator Vehicle as RLV-LEX-01.
Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC),
ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, and the Indian Air Force worked together with the
Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE),
Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), and other agencies to complete the mission.[50][51]
RLV-LEX-03
ISRO completed the preparation for the third and last RLV landing experiment, RLV-LEX-03. At the Mission Readiness Review meet on 7 June 2024,
S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of the
Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, certified the mission for the first half of June at the
Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range, subject to weather conditions. In contrast to LEX-02, where the altitude was the same but the lateral distance from the runway was 150 meters, Pushpak will be flown by an IAF Chinook helicopter to a height of 4.5 kilometers and 500 meters to one side of the runway in LEX-03 before being released. The goal of the LEX-03 mission is to investigate methods for lowering the sink rate, or rate of descent, in order to lessen the impact weight. Pushpak will carry an onboard real-time kinematics (RTK) package. The test will also determine how well Pushpak performs in scenarios with a tailwind.[52]
The date of the test was shifted to the end of 2nd week of June due to poor weather conditions. [53] The test was successfully conducted on 23rd June from Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range. Pushpak was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km.[54]
Pushpak automatically carried out cross-range correction maneuvers during the LEX-03 mission, approached the runway, and made a precise horizontal touchdown at the centerline of the runway. The landing velocity of this vehicle approached 320
kmph, which is faster than the average fighter aircraft's 280 kmph and a commercial aircraft's 260 kmph, due to its low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic arrangement. The vehicle's braking parachute was used to slow down to almost 100 kmph after touchdown, and the landing gear brakes were then used to bring the vehicle to a stop and decelerate on the runway. Pushpak uses its nose wheel and rudder steering system to automatically maintain a steady and accurate ground roll along the runway during this ground roll phase.[55]
The mission replicated high-speed landing conditions, as well as the approach and landing interface, for a vehicle returning from space. Validation of the sophisticated guidance system that addresses both lateral and longitudinal plane error corrections which is necessary for the next Orbital Return Flight Experiment. The test vehicle was equipped with a
pseudolite system,
inertial sensor,
radar altimeter, flush
air data system, and
NavIC receiver, among other multi-sensor fusion devices. The RLV-LEX-03 demonstrated the robustness and adaptability of flight systems for multiple missions by reusing the winged body and flight systems from the LEX-02 without any modifications.[55]
Future
Two more experiments are planned by ISRO: OREX (Orbital Return Flight Experiment) and SPEX (Scramjet Propulsion Experiment).[11][56][57] The OREX will launch on a
GSLV rocket with
PS-4 stage instead of its
CUSupper stages (due to decreased performance unlike a regular GSLV launch) and
Orbital Re-entry vehicle (ORV) in place of its
ogivepayload fairing and re-enter the earth's atmosphere for a landing to demonstrate the viability of the project. The OREX vehicle will be 1.6 times larger than the Landing Experiment's Pushpak platform. It will have retractable landing gear and a thermal protection system for a safe re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.[52]
Gallery
Photos of RLV TD
RLV-TD HEX01, TDV being transported
RLV-TD HEX01 at First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC SHAR) before launch 01
Launch of RLV-TD HEX01 from First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC SHAR) 02
LEX-01 simulating vehicle landing parameters.
LEX-02 maiden autonomous landing.
To enhance safety during autonomous landing maneuvers, LEX-03 utilized a new kinematics package, enhanced satellite navigation, and multi-sensor fusion for real-time parameter modification and error correction.
See also
Avatar, an unrelated spaceplane concept by India's
DRDO
^"Government of India Department of Space"(PDF). March 14, 2012. Archived from
the original(PDF) on August 5, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-27. Feasibility study of project "AVATAR)" has been done by a group of scientists in DRDO. ISRO has no connection with the project.
For this purpose, a winged
reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator (
RLV-TD) has been configured. The RLV-TD acted as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies like powered cruise flight,
hypersonic flight, and autonomous landing using air-breathing propulsion. Application of these technologies would bring down the launch cost by a factor of 10.[4] This project has no connection with the
Avatar spaceplane concept by India's
Defence Research and Development Organisation.[5]
History
In 2006 the
Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) performed a series of ground tests to demonstrate stable supersonic combustion for nearly 7 seconds with an inlet Mach number of 6.[6]
In March 2010, ISRO conducted the flight testing of its new sounding rocket: Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV-D01), weighing 3 tonnes at lift-off, a diameter of .56 m (1 ft 10 in), and a length of ~10 m (33 ft).[7] It carried a passive scramjet engine combustor module as a test-bed for demonstration of air-breathing propulsion technology.[8]
In January 2012, ISRO announced that a scaled prototype, called Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), was approved to be built and tested.[9] The aerodynamics characterization on the RLV-TD prototype was done by
National Aerospace Laboratories in India. The RLV-TD is in the last stages of construction by a Hyderabad-based private company called CIM Technologies. The fixed landing gear for the RLV-TD was supplied by Timetooth Technologies. The full-scale RLV is expected to use retractable landing gear.[10]
On August 28, 2016, ISRO successfully tested its scramjet engine on second developmental flight of its Advanced Technology Vehicle ATV-D02 from the
Satish Dhawan Space Centre for 28 August 2016.[14][15] The scramjet engine will be integrated to the RLV at a later stage of development.[16]
In January 2012, the design of ISRO's
reusable launch vehicle was approved by the National Review Committee and clearance was granted to build the vehicle. The vehicle was named 'Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator' (RLV-TD).[18] ISRO aims to bring down the cost of
payload delivery to
low Earth orbit by 80% from existing $20,000/kg to $4,000/kg.[19][20][21]
The RLV-TD was developed with an objective to test various aspects such as
hypersonic flight,
autoland, powered
cruise flight, hypersonic flight using the
air-breathing enginepropulsion and Hypersonic Experiment. A series of four RLV-TD test flights are planned by ISRO:[18][22][23] HEX (Hypersonic Flight Experiment), LEX (Landing Experiment), REX (Return Flight Experiment) later renamed to OREX (Orbital Return Flight Experiment), and SPEX (Scramjet Propulsion Experiment).
A team of 750 engineers at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre,
National Aeronautical Laboratory, and
Indian Institute of Science worked on the design and development of RLV-TD and the associated rocket. RLV-TD underwent 120 hours of
wind tunnel, 5,000 hours of
computational fluid dynamics and 1,100 runs of
flight simulation tests. RLV-TD has mass of 1.75 tonnes,
wingspan of 3.6 meters and overall length of 6.5 meters (excluding the rocket). The vehicle had 600 heat-resistant tiles on its undercarriage and it features
delta wings and angled
tail fins.[24][25] Total cost of the project was ₹95 crore (equivalent to ₹137 crore or US$16.4 million in 2023).[26][27] Future planned developments include testing an air-breathing propulsion system, which aims to capitalise on the oxygen in the atmosphere instead of liquefied oxygen while in flight.[28]
On 3 March 2010, ISRO successfully conducted the
flight test of its new sounding rocket ATV-D01 from
Satish Dhawan Space Centre in
Sriharikota. ATV-D01 weighed 3 tonnes at lift-off and was the heaviest sounding rocket ever developed by ISRO at the time. It was mounted with a passive
Scramjet engine. The
rocket flew for 7 seconds, achieved
Mach number 6 + 0.5 and dynamic pressure 80 + 35
kPa.[29][30]
RLV TD Experiments
Hypersonic Flight Experiment
For Japan's Hypersonic Flight Experiment, see
HYFLEX.
The Reusable Launch Vehicle Hypersonic Flight Experiment or RLV HEX was the first test flight in the RLV Technology Demonstration Programme. HEX was successfully conducted on 23 May 2016.[2][31][32] RLV-TD consists of a fuselage (body), a nose cap, double delta wings and twin vertical rudders. It has active control surfaces called Elevons and Rudders.[32] Apart from the twin rudders it is similar in shape and operation to a small Space Shuttle Orbiter. TDV uses 600 or so heat resistant silica tiles and Flexible External Insulation, nose-cap is made out Carbon-Carbon composite with SiC coating. The leading edges of twin rudders are Inconel-718, wing leading edges of 15CDV6.[33][34][35][36][37][38]
HEX was the first test flight of a reusable launch vehicle developed by India. The test flight objectives included:[39]
Validating the aerodynamic design characteristics during
hypersonic flight
Characterize induced loads during the hypersonic descent through the atmosphere
Assess the performance of the
carbon fibre used in construction of the nose of the vehicle
Demonstrate first stage separation sequencing
The vehicle was tracked during its flight from ground stations at Sriharikota and a shipborne terminal. The total flight duration from launch to
splashdown lasted about 773.6 seconds.[40] The unit was not planned to be recovered.[41][42] ISRO plans to construct an airstrip greater than 4km long in
Sriharikota island in the "near future". Critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance & control, reusable thermal protection system, and descent mission management were validated in this flight.[43]
Landing Experiment
The Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing Experiment or RLV-LEX was the second test flight in the RLV Technology Demonstration Programme following the Hypersonic Flight Experiment. The demonstration trials will pave the way for the
two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) fully reusable launch vehicle. Furthermore, more test similar to RLV-LEX will be conducted to test other conditions like wind, different failure conditions and other factors to finalise the testing of the vehicle.[44]
RLV-LEX-01
RLV-LEX was successfully conducted on 2 April 2023 at the
Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range.[45] The flight took off at 7:10 AM and was released mid-air at a downrange of 4.6 km. The Vehicle landed at about 7:40 AM
Simulating the exact conditions of a Space Re-entry vehicle's landing - high speed, unmanned, autonomous, precise landing from the same return path
Validating the landing parameters such as the ground relative velocity, the sinking rate of landing gears and precise body rates as might be experienced by an orbital re-entry space vehicle on its return path
After the successful completion of the mission,
S. Somanath, chairman of
ISRO, said to the media that they are currently planning to conduct more such landing tests to check the readiness of software and hardware under different conditions. The reported test will include the vehicle being dropped from an altitude of about 4.5 kilometres and at a lateral difference following which the vehicle must automatically guide itself for a landing.[47] The test will now be retroactively referred to as RLV-LEX-01
RLV-LEX-02
Another landing experiment was conducted at Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range on 22 March 2024.[48] Four kilometres from the runway, at a height of 4.5 km, the Boeing CH-47 Chinook of Indian Air Force hoisted and released the test vehicle. The vehicle had to correct both cross-range and down-range deviations before landing autonomously on the runway due to the experiment's more difficult manoeuvres and dispersions.[49] The vehicle used its
nosewheel steering system, landing gear brakes, and
drogue parachute to help it come to a precise halt on the runway after making the required cross-range modifications. RLV-LEX-02 made use of the same Flight Demonstrator Vehicle as RLV-LEX-01.
Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC),
ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, and the Indian Air Force worked together with the
Aeronautical Development Establishment (ADE),
Aerial Delivery Research and Development Establishment (ADRDE), and other agencies to complete the mission.[50][51]
RLV-LEX-03
ISRO completed the preparation for the third and last RLV landing experiment, RLV-LEX-03. At the Mission Readiness Review meet on 7 June 2024,
S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of the
Vikram Sarabhai Space Center, certified the mission for the first half of June at the
Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range, subject to weather conditions. In contrast to LEX-02, where the altitude was the same but the lateral distance from the runway was 150 meters, Pushpak will be flown by an IAF Chinook helicopter to a height of 4.5 kilometers and 500 meters to one side of the runway in LEX-03 before being released. The goal of the LEX-03 mission is to investigate methods for lowering the sink rate, or rate of descent, in order to lessen the impact weight. Pushpak will carry an onboard real-time kinematics (RTK) package. The test will also determine how well Pushpak performs in scenarios with a tailwind.[52]
The date of the test was shifted to the end of 2nd week of June due to poor weather conditions. [53] The test was successfully conducted on 23rd June from Chitradurga Aeronautical Test Range. Pushpak was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km.[54]
Pushpak automatically carried out cross-range correction maneuvers during the LEX-03 mission, approached the runway, and made a precise horizontal touchdown at the centerline of the runway. The landing velocity of this vehicle approached 320
kmph, which is faster than the average fighter aircraft's 280 kmph and a commercial aircraft's 260 kmph, due to its low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic arrangement. The vehicle's braking parachute was used to slow down to almost 100 kmph after touchdown, and the landing gear brakes were then used to bring the vehicle to a stop and decelerate on the runway. Pushpak uses its nose wheel and rudder steering system to automatically maintain a steady and accurate ground roll along the runway during this ground roll phase.[55]
The mission replicated high-speed landing conditions, as well as the approach and landing interface, for a vehicle returning from space. Validation of the sophisticated guidance system that addresses both lateral and longitudinal plane error corrections which is necessary for the next Orbital Return Flight Experiment. The test vehicle was equipped with a
pseudolite system,
inertial sensor,
radar altimeter, flush
air data system, and
NavIC receiver, among other multi-sensor fusion devices. The RLV-LEX-03 demonstrated the robustness and adaptability of flight systems for multiple missions by reusing the winged body and flight systems from the LEX-02 without any modifications.[55]
Future
Two more experiments are planned by ISRO: OREX (Orbital Return Flight Experiment) and SPEX (Scramjet Propulsion Experiment).[11][56][57] The OREX will launch on a
GSLV rocket with
PS-4 stage instead of its
CUSupper stages (due to decreased performance unlike a regular GSLV launch) and
Orbital Re-entry vehicle (ORV) in place of its
ogivepayload fairing and re-enter the earth's atmosphere for a landing to demonstrate the viability of the project. The OREX vehicle will be 1.6 times larger than the Landing Experiment's Pushpak platform. It will have retractable landing gear and a thermal protection system for a safe re-entry into Earth's atmosphere.[52]
Gallery
Photos of RLV TD
RLV-TD HEX01, TDV being transported
RLV-TD HEX01 at First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC SHAR) before launch 01
Launch of RLV-TD HEX01 from First Launch Pad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre, Sriharikota (SDSC SHAR) 02
LEX-01 simulating vehicle landing parameters.
LEX-02 maiden autonomous landing.
To enhance safety during autonomous landing maneuvers, LEX-03 utilized a new kinematics package, enhanced satellite navigation, and multi-sensor fusion for real-time parameter modification and error correction.
See also
Avatar, an unrelated spaceplane concept by India's
DRDO
^"Government of India Department of Space"(PDF). March 14, 2012. Archived from
the original(PDF) on August 5, 2016. Retrieved 2016-04-27. Feasibility study of project "AVATAR)" has been done by a group of scientists in DRDO. ISRO has no connection with the project.