India is joining the reusable space race. Its space agency has today launched a small space shuttle, that will be used to test the country’s plans for creating a spacecraft that can be used multiple times.
Image: ISRO
The 1.75-tonne un-manned spacecraft — known as Reusable Launch Vehicle — will travel to 43 miles above the Earth’s atmosphere then descend back to the surface of the planet. This particular shuttle isn’t expected to survive the landing. Instead, it will gather data about the speed and intensity of re-entry, and test the craft’s autonomous landing capabilities.
This mission is the result of five years of work and $US14 ($19) million of investment, according to the BBC. It’s hoped that the country will be using a full-scale reusable spacecraft within the next 10 years.
India joins a long line of folks — not least the private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin — trying to build a reusable space craft. BBC]