Pushpak 'Viman' lands successfully; How ISRO's new launch vehicle can pave the way for affordable space exploration

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has reached a significant milestone in reusable launch vehicle technology with the successful landing experiment of the RLV LEX-02. The experiment, conducted at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka, marks a crucial step forward in the development of reusable launch vehicles (RLVs).

"Building upon the success of the RLV-LEX-01 mission last year, the RLV-LEX-02 experiment involved more challenging maneuvers and dispersions, requiring the vehicle to correct both cross-range and downrange deviations before landing autonomously on the runway," Isro said in a TOI report.

The RLV LEX-02 mission demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the reusable launch vehicle from challenging initial conditions after release from a helicopter. Named Pushpak, the winged vehicle was lifted by an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter and released from an altitude of 4.5 km. It autonomously approached the runway with cross-range corrections and landed precisely, coming to a halt using its brake parachute, landing gear brakes, and nose wheel steering system.


"This mission successfully simulated the approach and high-speed landing conditions of an RLV returning from space. With the RLV-LEX-02, Isro has re-validated its indigenously developed technologies in areas such as navigation, control systems, landing gear, and deceleration systems, which are essential for performing a high-speed autonomous landing of a space-returning vehicle," Isro said.


This successful mission simulated the approach and high-speed landing conditions of an RLV returning from space. It also re-validated technologies developed by ISRO in navigation, control systems, landing gear, and deceleration systems, which are essential for a high-speed autonomous landing of a space-returning vehicle.

The mission, accomplished by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) along with the Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC) and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), builds on the success of the RLV-LEX-01 mission. In this latest mission, the winged body and all flight systems used in RLV-LEX-01 were reused after due certification/clearances, demonstrating the reuse capability of flight hardware and flight systems.

Based on observations from RLV-LEX-01, the airframe structure and landing gear were strengthened to tolerate higher landing loads. ISRO chairman S Somanath congratulated the team for the flawless execution of this complex mission.

VSSC Director Dr S Unnikrishnan Nair highlighted that through this repeated success, ISRO has mastered terminal phase maneuvering, landing, and energy management in a fully autonomous mode, which is a critical step towards the future.

ISRO's efforts in developing essential technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle aim to enable low-cost access to space. This achievement reaffirms India's commitment to advancing space exploration through innovative technology development and successful mission execution.