Bengaluru: The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) on Sunday successfully conducted the third and final Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing Experiment (LEX). The mission, known as RLV LEX-03, was conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka.
The RLV LEX-03 mission demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the RLV under more challenging release conditions and severe wind conditions. The winged vehicle, named Pushpak, was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km.
From a release point 4.5 km away from the runway, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway, and performed a precise horizontal landing at the runway centreline.
This mission simulated the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, reaffirming Isro’s expertise in acquiring the most critical technologies required for the development of a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV).
The advanced guidance algorithm catering to longitudinal and lateral plane error corrections, which is essential for the future Orbital Re-entry Mission, has been validated, Isro said in a statement.
The RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems from the LEX-02 mission, demonstrating the robustness of Isro’s capability of design to reuse flight systems for multiple missions. This mission was a collaborative effort involving multiple Isro centers, the Indian Air Force, and other organisations.
Hat-trick for ISRO in RLV LEX
