NEW DELHI: In what could bring down the cost of access to space, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) will carry out a test flight of Reusable Launch Vehicle- Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) by second quarter of 2015 which will bring down the cost of satellite launches in India.
The cost of access to space is the major deterrent in space exploration and space utilisation and a reusable launch vehicle is the unanimous solution to achieve low-cost, reliable and on-demand space access.
Technology Demonstrator winged body vehicle weighing 1.5 tonnes will be lifted to a height of 70 km using solid booster, thus attaining five times the speed of sound, Minister of State in the Prime Minister’s Office Jitendra Singh said in reply to a question in the Lok Sabha.
“Development of Reusable Launch Vehicles is a technical challenge and it involves development of many cutting edge technologies. The magnitude of cost reduction depends on development and realisation of fully reusable launch vehicle and its degree of reusability,” said Singh.