The ISRO (Indian Space Research Organisation) has done it again. Continuing its string of successes, the space agency today conducted a successful landing mission of the LEX 02 Pushpack reusable rocket vehicle (RLV) from the Air Test Range (ATR) at Chitradurga.
In the report attached to this post, ISRO announced that a major milestone in reusable rocket vehicle (RLV) technology was achieved with the test landing of RV LEX-02, the second in the series. The RLV-LEX-01 mission was completed last year.
Experiment RLV-LEX-02
RLV-LEX-02 demonstrated the autonomous landing capabilities of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) from non-standard initial conditions after release from a helicopter, ISRO said. The winged vehicle underwent more demanding maneuvers that corrected for dispersion across and downrange to autonomously land on the runway. An Indian Air Force helicopter raised the Pushpak to a height of 4.5 km before launch.
RLV-LEX-02 Experiment:
🇮🇳ISRO nails it again!🎯Pushpak (RLV-TD), the winged vehicle, landed autonomously with precision on the runway after being released from an off-nominal position.
🚁@IAF_MCC pic.twitter.com/IHNoSOUdRx
— ISRO (@isro) March 22, 2024
Post the release at a distance of about 4 kilometers. Pushpak autonomously navigated towards the runway while making corrections across the range. It made a precision landing on the runway, using its brake parachute, landing gear brakes and nosewheel steering system to stop.
ISRO said, “This mission successfully simulated the approach and high-speed landing conditions of RLVs returning from space. With this second mission, ISRO has re-validated its proprietary technologies developed in the areas of navigation, control systems, landing gear and deceleration systems, which are essential for performing a high-speed autonomous landing of a space vehicle.”
It also added that the winged vehicle and all flight systems used in the RLV-LEX-01 mission were subsequently used in the RLV-LEX-02 mission after proper approval and validation.
