RLV-LEX-01 Landing Experiment: ISRO creates history once again as Pushpak reusable launch vehicle lands sucessfully

ISRO news today latest, Pushpak RLV landing video: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the country's space agency, made history once again as the RLV LEX-02, a winged reusable launch vehicle (RLV) also known as Pushpak, landed safely and autonomously at Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Karnataka's Chitradurga on Friday, March 22. The test, to check the landing capability of the RLV-LEX-02, followed an experiment in April 2023 to test the hypersonic flight capabilities of the vehicle to survive reentry at hypersonic speeds.

Here are some of the key highlights of the landing of the Pushpak RLV:   

• The RLV-LEX-02 demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of RLV from off-nominal initial conditions at release from a helicopter. "The RLV was made to undertake more difficult manoeuvres with dispersions, correct both cross-range and downrange and land on the runway in a fully autonomous mode," said the ISRO.
• The winged vehicle was lifted by an Indian Airforce Chinook helicopter and released from 4.5 km altitude.
• After release at a distance of 4 km from the runway, Pushpak autonomously approached the runway along with cross-range corrections.
• It landed precisely on the runway and came to a halt using its brake parachute, landing gear brakes and nose wheel steering system.
• This mission successfully simulated the approach and high-speed landing conditions of RLV returning from space.

Check out the pictures and video clips of the historic landing of the Pushpak RLV:   

Utilising the #IAF Chinook helicopter for its airlift and subsequent positioning at a predefined altitude and location, @isro successfully demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) 'PUSHPAK' as part of its RLV-LEX 2 mission.

Airlifted to… pic.twitter.com/FCTGHk51wO

— Indian Air Force (@IAF_MCC) March 22, 2024

With the mission, the ISRO revalidated the indigenously developed technologies in the areas of navigation, control systems, landing gear, and deceleration systems essential for performing a high-speed autonomous landing of a space-returning vehicle.

The mission was accomplished by Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) along with the Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC) and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU).