During this period, a
two-stage-to-orbit (TSTO) reusable launch vehicle is developed by the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This follows successful testing of smaller,
scaled-down versions, which demonstrated important technologies such as
autonomous navigation, guidance and control, hypersonic and scramjet flight, a
reusable thermal protection system, and re-entry mission management. An early
prototype in 2016 achieved a speed of Mach 5 and maximum altitude of 40 miles
(65 km)– not quite enough to reach outer space, which is generally considered
to begin at a height of 62 miles (100 km).
It lasted for 13 minutes and covered a
distance of 280 miles (450 km), steering itself to an on-target splashdown to
land (ditch) in the Bay of Bengal. Not designed to float, the vehicle
disintegrated on impact and was not recovered. Known as the Hypersonic Flight
Experiment (HEX) this was the first in a series of five tests. The four
subsequent iterations were more advanced and enabled landing, return flights
and scramjet propulsion experiments. These would eventually culminate in the
finalised version, able to transport cargo into orbit, return safely to Earth
and be re-used.
India had already launched
astronauts into space by 2021, in a small capsule atop a GSLV
rocket. The addition of a reusable launch system greatly expands ISRO's
capabilities in space – enabling longer, more complex and commercially
successful missions, while cutting launch costs by a factor of ten. This comes
at a time when various new space planes are being developed by other countries
and space agencies, making access to space increasingly affordable and routine.
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