By Girish Linganna

Mar 22: On Friday, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully executed the landing operation of its Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), called 'Pushpak'. This significant event took place at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) located in Challaker, Karnataka, at approximately 7:00 am.

The third landing mission of the RLV, which is named 'Pushpak' after the mythical spacecraft mentioned in the Ramayana, was successfully conducted by the space agency. This follows the successful completion of previous missions in 2016 and another in April of the preceding year.

An Indian Air Force helicopter elevated the launch vehicle to a height of approximately 4.5 kilometers before releasing it upon achieving the specific pillbox parameters.

"Pillbox" in the context of aeronautics or space missions usually refers to a predefined set of parameters or conditions, such as altitude, speed, and trajectory, that need to be met before proceeding with a particular phase of the mission, like releasing a spacecraft or vehicle. This term is not commonly used in everyday language outside of technical or military contexts, where it originally refers to a small, fortified structure. In the scenario of releasing a vehicle from a helicopter, achieving "pillbox parameters" would likely mean reaching the specific conditions under which it's safe and optimal to release the vehicle for its mission.

During today's experiment, the RLV was required to achieve a precise landing on the runway, taking into consideration factors such as wind speed, velocity, and various other challenges.

The onboard navigation system help s to guide Pushpak to land at a rapid speed of 350 kilometres per hour, navigating through any obstacles in the vicinity of the runway.

ISRO has stated that the mission contributes to the organization's initiative to "create crucial technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle, aiming at reducing the cost of space access."

ISRO Chairperson S. Somanath, as reported by NDTV, described the Pushpak launch vehicle as India's ambitious effort to significantly lower the cost of space exploration. He highlighted that Pushpak represents a forward-looking approach to developing Reusable Launch Vehicles (RLVs) in India. The key innovation lies in making the upper stage of the vehicle reusable; this stage contains the most costly components, including sophisticated electronics, and is engineered to return safely to Earth, thereby reducing overall mission costs.

In the future, there's potential for it to be involved in refueling satellites already in orbit or even retrieving satellites for refurbishment. This initiative by India aims at reducing space debris, with Pushpak representing a move in that direction.

RLV Pushpak is equipped with various components including navigation hardware and software, a Ka-Band radar altimeter, a receiver for Navigation with Indian Constellation (NavIC), sensors, locally manufactured landing gear, and honeycomb aerofoil fins, among other technologies.

ISRO explains that although the RLV-TD resembles an aircraft in its design, it embodies the intricacies of both a spacecraft and an airplane. It serves as a flying test bed, designed to assess diverse technologies, including hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, and powered cruise flight.

A committed group of engineers and scientists embarked on the creation of the space shuttle a decade ago. This craft, resembling an airplane and measuring 6.5 meters, has a weight of 1.75 tons. Small thrusters assist in steering the vehicle to its precise landing location during its descent. The government has allocated more than Rs 100 crore to fund this project.

ISRO describes 'Pushpak' as featuring a main body known as the fuselage, a nose cap, double delta wings, and dual vertical tails. Additionally, it is equipped with symmetrically arranged active control surfaces known as Elevons and a Rudder for navigation and control.

ISRO has outlined plans for the RLV-TD to eventually be expanded to serve as the initial stage of India's reusable two-stage orbital launch vehicle in the future.

(The author Girish Linganna of this article is a Defence, Aerospace & Political Analyst based in Bengaluru. He is also Director of ADD Engineering Components, India, Pvt. Ltd, a subsidiary of ADD Engineering GmbH, Germany. You can reach out to him at: girishlinganna@gmail.com)