The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully conducted its third landing experiment for the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), dubbed "RLV-LEX-03," early Sunday morning.
The test, held at 7:10 AM at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Challakere, Chitradurga district, 220 km from Bengaluru, marks a significant milestone towards achieving orbital re-entry capabilities for the vehicle.
The RLV project is a crucial part of ISRO's long-term vision to establish sustained human presence in space by demonstrating reusable launch technologies. The RLV-LEX-03 experiment, following the successful RLV-LEX-02 test on March 22, focused on enhancing the vehicle's performance, guidance, and landing precision.
According to Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), this test posed greater challenges with an intentional cross-range error of 500 meters, up from the 150 meters tested in LEX-02, and a velocity azimuth adjustment of 2° from the runway centerline.
"RLV-LEX-03 re-demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the RLV under more challenging release conditions, including a cross range of 500 meters and more severe wind conditions," ISRO announced. The vehicle, named 'Pushpak,' was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km. From this release point, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction maneuvers, approached the runway, and achieved a precise horizontal landing on the runway centerline.
The aerodynamic design of Pushpak resulted in a landing velocity exceeding 320 km/h, compared to 260 km/h for commercial aircraft and 280 km/h for typical fighter jets.
After touchdown, the vehicle's speed was reduced to nearly 100 km/h using a brake parachute, followed by the employment of landing gear brakes to come to a complete stop.
During the ground roll phase, Pushpak utilized its rudder and nose wheel steering system to maintain a stable and precise course along the runway. This mission simulated the critical approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions of a vehicle returning from space.
One of the key advancements in this mission was the implementation of an advanced guidance algorithm capable of simultaneously correcting errors in both the longitudinal and lateral planes. This decoupled algorithm, an improvement over the approach used in LEX-02, is essential for future orbital re-entry missions and will enhance the precision and control of the RLV.
"RLV-LEX utilizes multisensor fusion, incorporating sensors such as an inertial sensor, radar altimeter, flush air data system, pseudolite system, and NaviC," ISRO stated.
The winged body and flight systems used in this mission were reused from the LEX-02 mission without any modifications, demonstrating the robustness and reusability of ISRO's design.
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