Reusable Launch Vehicle

A reusable launch system (or reusable launch vehicle, RLV) is a launch system which is capable of launching a launch vehicle into
space more than once. This contrasts with expendable launch systems, where each launch vehicle is launched once and then
discarded.

RLV-TD consists of a fuselage (body), a nose cap, double delta wings and twin vertical tails. It also features symmetrically placed
active control surfaces called Elevons and Rudder. This technology demonstrator was boosted to Mach no: 5 by a conventional
solid booster (HS9) designed for low burn rate.  The selection of materials like special alloys, composites and insulation materials for
developing an RLV-TD and the crafting of its parts is very complex and demands highly skilled manpower. Many high technology
machinery and test equipment were utilised for building this vehicle.

A Winged RLV-TD has been configured to act as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies using air breathing propulsion.
These technologies will be developed in phases through a series of experimental flights.

Objectives of RLV-TD:

• Hypersonic aero thermodynamic characterisation of wing body

• Evaluation of autonomous Navigation, Guidance and Control (NGC) schemes

• Integrated flight management

• Thermal Protection System Evaluation

Significance of RLV test on Indian Space Program

• Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV) are expendable launch vehicle but
they got burned after launching satellite in space. Reusability of RLV will decrease this cost to create new launch vehicle for every
time.

• The propeller used in RLV can be customized accordingly, to launch a satellite in lower orbit, only one propellor in single stage to
orbit RLV will be used. For higher orbit, 2 stage to orbit RLV will be used.

• Technology used in this launch vehicle can be used in other spacecrafts either it is man mission to Moon or Mars, thus it will help
to economize time and monetary cost.

• Due to cost effectiveness, and reduced cost of operation, India will attract more foreign business to launch their satellites.

• As it can be reused again, it reduces the growing space debris and thus it can seen as preferred clean space technology at
international level which can further boost Indian’s space commerce industry.

Thus the main advantage of an RLV is it can be used multiple times, hopefully with low servicing costs. The expendable rocket that
is used for launching the RLV can also be designed to be used multiple times. A successful RLV would surely cut down mission
costs and make space travel more accessible.

It is an important achievement, and RLV will also improve the India’s credential and space science and operation which will motivate
it as well as other space agencies to work in collaboration with ISRO.