Author Topic: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program  (Read 78377 times)

Offline sanman

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #60 on: 01/31/2018 04:44 am »
It's probably image distortion, or the angle, or something like that

Offline K210

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #61 on: 01/31/2018 12:28 pm »
Is this a new RLV-TD or the same one that was flown last year? The wings look burned but that might just be the lighting.

Offline Skyrocket

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #62 on: 01/31/2018 12:34 pm »
Is the RLV so fat or the image is stretched out?

The image is distorted.

Offline Skyrocket

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #63 on: 01/31/2018 12:35 pm »
Is this a new RLV-TD or the same one that was flown last year? The wings look burned but that might just be the lighting.

A new one - the first one was not planned to be recovered.

Offline sanman

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #64 on: 02/01/2018 11:44 pm »
Is this a new RLV-TD or the same one that was flown last year? The wings look burned but that might just be the lighting.

A new one - the first one was not planned to be recovered.

Yeah, it's a new one. As you say, the first one wasn't planned to be recovered, although aircraft sent to the ocean touchdown site said they did see that the RLV-TD had touched down on the ocean surface intact, after which it sank beneath the waves. I wonder if that original model could somehow be salvaged? It could make for a decent museum piece.
« Last Edit: 02/01/2018 11:50 pm by sanman »

Offline vineethgk

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #65 on: 02/08/2018 01:11 am »
ISRO Chairman lauds latest SpaceX milestone as a 'quantum leap', says ISRO is working in parallel towards RLV and reusable rocket stages
Quote
 "Our research and development department is working on three technology demonstrators. First one on the orbital re-entry of the vehicle, second on the landing of the reusable launch vehicle on the airstrip and third on reusable rocket stages. Isro's research work on these three technologies is simultaneously going on and we hope to do a second technology demonstrator test (first experiment on reusable launch vehicle was in 2016) within two years."

Offline sanman

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Offline chota

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #67 on: 07/04/2018 06:43 pm »
Another Concept

Offline worldtimedate

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #68 on: 08/10/2018 07:08 am »
ISRO to test reusable launch vehicle soon

Quote
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will soon carry out another major test for its reusable launch vehicle (RLV) in which the vehicle will be flown to a height of 3 km by a helicopter and let free to land autonomously at an airstrip in Challakere in Chitradurga district.

Quote
This would be the second test for the vehicle after the first one in 2016 demonstrated that the RLV could land autonomously in the sea after being taken to an altitude of 65 km. Talking about the upcoming test, S Somanath, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre, said the test will be carried out at the airstrip, owned by the Defence Research and Development Organization within 6 months. "After this test, we will integrate the vehicle into a new rocket which will take it up into orbit for it to return," he said.

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Offline sanman

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #69 on: 08/10/2018 11:15 pm »
This will be the Landing Experiment (LEX)

I wonder what height the Dreamchaser was dropped from, just for comparison?

EDIT: Wikipedia says Dreamchaser was dropped from 4.3 km altitude

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dream_Chaser
« Last Edit: 08/11/2018 11:21 pm by sanman »

Offline worldtimedate

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #70 on: 08/12/2018 09:17 pm »
Quote
In a bid to fulfil its dream of the manned mission, Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) is gearing up for the second demonstration test of the reusable launch vehicle (RLV) next year. However, this time, the RLV will be tested on an airstrip and not on the sea.

Isro chairman K Sivan said, "We will conduct an RLV test sometime next year where a helicopter will take the vehicle to a height of 3 km and from that height, it will be dropped. The RLV will then glide and land on an airstrip."

Quote
Isro conducted the first demonstration test of India's winged body aerospace vehicle on May 23, 2016. A solid rocket booster carrying RLV-TD lifted off from Sriharikota and coasted to a height of 56km. At that height, RLV-TD separated from HS9 booster and further ascended to a height of 65km and then started its descent and successfully glided down to the defining landing spot over the Bay of Bengal.

Sivan said, "The third experiment will include testing the RLV from the orbit. The vehicle will be integrated into a new rocket, which will take it up to the orbit. There, the vehicle will get detached and re-entre the earth's atmosphere and land."

Source : Manned mission: Isro to hold 2nd test of reusable launch vehicle next year

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Offline sanman

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #71 on: 08/13/2018 03:54 am »
I think the Indian media are once again mangling perceptions, by mentally associating the RLV-TD and its objectives with those of the very famous US Space Shuttle program. ISRO has never indicated that reusable launch technology development was particularly aimed at manned spaceflight. Perhaps it one day could be, if future use of this technology proves successful - but all previous roadmaps seemed to show RLV being developed primarily for low-cost satellite delivery to orbit.

Offline chetan_chpd

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #72 on: 01/18/2019 02:00 pm »
RLV- Winged spacecraft to be tested mid-2019 for airstrip landing after launch in space.

(ISRO chairman press conference highlights
https://www.chetansindiaspaceflight.com/2019/01/news-update-isro-chairman-press.html)

Offline chetan_chpd

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #73 on: 01/19/2019 03:54 am »
We thought that the RLV test this year is going to be a orbital/ suborbital test that includes landing of the RLV on a runway. But now we learn that it could just be a drop test from a helicopter. A chopper will drop the RLV from a height of 3 Km, onboard computers and craft's flight controls will be tested as it should land smoothly on a runway near test location (as per "space officials" who gave this info).

(Conflicting statements about RLV test in 2019
https://www.chetansindiaspaceflight.com/2019/01/news-update-conflicting-statements.html)

Offline worldtimedate

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #74 on: 01/20/2019 05:24 am »
ISRO looking to land rockets on runways

Quote
In its endeavour to make rockets used for launching satellites reusable, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will explore for the first time the possibility of runway landing of rockets just as airplanes do at airports. "After releasing the satellite, the launch vehicle, which has no pilot, will fall very steeply through the sky. It will come like a falling football. We need to change its angle in such a manner that it comes and lands automatically with the help of wings," said ISRO Chairman K Sivan here on Friday.

Quote
For the technology demonstration, scheduled to be carried out in the middle of this year, ISRO will take the shuttle to an altitude of 3 km using a helicopter and drop it. The shuttle is designed in such a manner that it would land automatically on a runway. According to a senior ISRO official, an airport at Challakere, near Bengaluru, will be used for the experiment. This is the second such experiment in reusable-launch-vehicle technology being carried out by the space agency. In 2016, ISRO successfully test flew a winged experimental reusable launch vehicle (RLV) that splashed down in the sea after reaching an altitude of 65 km.

Offline chetan_chpd

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #75 on: 01/22/2019 04:46 am »
ISRO's reusable rocket: Our confusion

What exactly ISRO's reusable rocket be like?

Option 1: Expendable first stage and on top of it a Space Shuttle type vehicle
Option 2: ISRO's ADMIRE project where first stage could land back like Space-X Falcon-9 booster.
Option 3: Completely reusable: A combination of above two.

As per many news reports of past, ISRO officials have discussed about all three.

(https://www.chetansindiaspaceflight.com/2019/01/news-update-isros-reusable-rocket-our.html)

Offline Zed_Noir

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #76 on: 01/23/2019 03:39 am »
ISRO's reusable rocket: Our confusion

What exactly ISRO's reusable rocket be like?
<snip>

IMO ISRO is going to get the cheapest to developed partially reusable launch system.

A refurbishable winged upper stage of some sort along with expendable booster core with strapped-on boosters. Maybe with a second stage on top of the core.

A high thrust semi-cryogenic engine for the core is a minimum prerequisite to even considering going forward with a reusable launcher program.

Offline sanman

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #77 on: 01/31/2019 04:21 am »
Here comes the LEX   (Landing EXperiment):

https://imgur.com/a/E96yztC

[zubenelgenubi: Attached embedded images.]
« Last Edit: 10/08/2020 04:07 pm by zubenelgenubi »

Offline chetan_chpd

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #78 on: 01/31/2019 05:40 am »
Here comes the LEX   (Landing EXperiment):


is it reported on news sites or from discussion portal/ blogs?

at least we can be sure that next RLV test will not be via orbital/suborbital launch. because there were conflicting reports in 'TOI' and 'Telegraph' about this.
(https://www.chetansindiaspaceflight.com/2019/01/news-update-conflicting-statements.html)
« Last Edit: 01/31/2019 05:57 am by chetan_chpd »

Offline john smith 19

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Re: Indian Reusable Launch Vehicle Program
« Reply #79 on: 01/31/2019 06:57 am »
TSTO RLV

First stage: vertical launch powered by 3 semi-cryogenic engines (2000 kn each). Unpowered glide back to airstrip after separation around 100-150 km. RLV-TD programme to demonstrate the technologies involved in this stage development.

Second stage: Recoverable stage powered to orbit by cryogenic propulsion involving 2 cryogenic engines. Spacecraft/satellite separation by opening the cargo bay doors. Ballistic re-entry into the earth atmosphere and to be recovered at sea. SRE programme to demonstrate the technologies involved in the development of this stage
Just to be clear that first stage alone would be a serious commitment to reusability.

It would make India the 2nd team (after SpaceX) to actually deliver a reusable first stage.

AFAIK both the Ariane 6 and the ULA Vega only have first stage recovery and reuse penciled a long way down the development roadmap.

Was the test vehicle launched on the booster already, or is this still in development?
« Last Edit: 01/31/2019 06:59 am by john smith 19 »
MCT ITS BFR SS. The worlds first Methane fueled FFSC engined CFRP SS structure A380 sized aerospaceplane tail sitter capable of Earth & Mars atmospheric flight.First flight to Mars by end of 2022 TBC. T&C apply. Trust nothing. Run your own #s "Extraordinary claims require extraordinary proof" R. Simberg."Competitve" means cheaper ¬cheap SCramjet proposed 1956. First +ve thrust 2004. US R&D spend to date > $10Bn. #deployed designs. Zero.

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