ISRO all set to launch Indigenous Space Shuttle

BENGALURU: In the history of the Indian Space Research, ISRO will be testing its first-ever indigenous space shuttle on May 23 from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC), Sriharikota, according to ISRO officials. The space shuttle is made of fully-reusable spaceship components in India. The first testing space shuttle is named as Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD).

Big powers deserted the idea of a winged reusable launch vehicle. However, India’s scotch engineers trust that the solution to reducing cost of launching satellites into orbit is to recycle the rocket and make it reusable.

Here are some of the facts about the space shuttle, as listed by India today website:

1. RLV-TD is a rocket-aircraft combination measuring about 6.5 m tall and weighs about 1.75 tons, which is as much as an average Sports Utility Vehicle (SUV) weigh.
2. This space mission is derived from the late Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam’s vision, according to the organization.
3. If the mission is achieved the average cost of delivering, a payload in space without a recyclable spaceship is about 5000 USD per 1 kg, will get reduced to more than half the cost and will drop down to around 2000 USD per kg
4. The space shuttle will run in the virtual area and will return back to the Bay of Bengal and during the mission, the components of the spaceship will not be recovered as they are not designed to float.
5. The nation need 5km runway which lacks in this mission. However it is expected that the depth of sea will cover it.
6. Once the testing become successfully, the final version of the shuttle will be six times longer to conduct, that is 15 to 20 years long as the reusable parts have complexities to build up.
7. The shuttle will cross at a speed of sound and while entering the earth’s atmosphere it will maintain the same and hence the mission is also called as Hyper Sonic Experiment (HEX).
8. While re-entering the earth’s orbit the intensity of friction will get increase. Scientist have developed and applied a thin layer of silica coating to withstand the temperature as high as 5000–7000 degree Celsius.
9. The overall project budget has made government to spend the whopping amount of 95 crores, which is comparatively lesser than the US space shuttle.
10. If the mission achieved successfully, India will be the 5th nation to do so after US, Russia, France and Japan.

Once the mission gets successful, space organization will be able to save large capital invested in the space missions. After the completion of the first phase of trial, the 600-member team of engineers and scientists will take another 10 more years to use this technology at its full potential.

Read Also: Panama Says Tax Evasion 'Not a Crime' There, Offers to Help India
Apple's Tim Cook to Visit India This Week