ISRO’s Reusable Launch Vehicle Prototype ‘RLV-TD’ Autonomously Lands On Runway. See PICS

ISRO’s Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Experiment (RLV LEX) was performed in collaboration with the Defence Space Research Organisation (DRDO) and the Indian Air Force (IAF), in the early hours of Sunday at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga, Karnataka. (Photo: Twitter/@KirenRijiju)

The Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) is one of the most technologically challenging endeavours of ISRO towards developing essential technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle to enable low-cost access to space. RLV-TD has a configuration similar to that of an aircraft and combines the complexity of both launch vehicles and aircraft. (Photo: Twitter/@KirenRijiju)

ISRO’s RLV LEX mission marks the first time a winged body has been carried to an altitude of 4.5 kilometres by a helicopter and released for carrying out an autonomous landing on a runway. RLV-TD is winged, a configuration intended to make the vehicle serve as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies such as hypersonic flight, autonomous landing and powered cruise flight. (Photo: Twitter/@ISRO)

For the RLV LEX mission, RLV-TD was carried at 7:10 am IST by a Chinook Helicopter of the Indian Air Force, as an underslung load. RLV-TD flew to a height of 4.5 kilometres above mean sea level. Once the predetermined parameters were attained, the RLV-TD was released mid-air. In the future, RLV-TD will be scaled up to become the first stage of India's reusable two-stage orbital launch vehicle. (Photo: Twitter/@ISRO)

RLV-TD was released autonomously. After being released, it performed approach and landing manoeuvres using its Integrated Navigation, Guidance and Control System. RLV-TD completed an autonomous landing on the ATR air strip at 7:40 am IST. With this, ISRO has successfully achieved the autonomous landing of a space vehicle. The autonomous landing of RLV-TD was carried out under the exact conditions required for the landing of a space vehicle that has re-entered the atmosphere. (Photo: Twitter/@ISRO)