“Mastering autonomous high-speed horizontal runway recovery under severe crosswind conditions brings India a step closer to orbital reusable launch vehicles.” — ISRO Directorate
SRIHARIKOTA / BENGALURU (YUVA 9 Bureau): The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has achieved a hat-trick of autonomous landing successes with 'Pushpak', its winged Reusable Launch Vehicle Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), completing the LEX-01, LEX-02, and LEX-03 flight test series at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga.
Released from an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 kilometers with intentional cross-range offsets, Pushpak autonomously executed approach, crosswind correction, high-speed touchdown (exceeding 320 km/h), and brake-parachute deceleration along the runway.
Simultaneously, at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh, ISRO teams are conducting static solid-motor validations and integrated uncrewed flight preparations for the flagship Gaganyaan human spaceflight program.
Verified Sources & References
- RLV-LEX-03: ISRO Achieves Hat-Trick in Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing Experiment (Indian Space Research Organisation (isro.gov.in))Verify
