<p>Sources in India’s premier space agency had told Deccan Herald earlier that considerable advancement has been achieved on the tests and on the technology demonstrator. <br /><br />“The prototype will be ready in the next two years,” said ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan. Stating that this was a critical breakthrough for the agency, sources said: “Once completed, the prototype will allow us to assess how close we are to developing a fully re-usable Two Stage To Orbit .” <br /><br />The success, or failure or partial success, will allow ISRO to formulate objectives and decide on whether India can straightaway develop a fully re-usable vehicle or should the agency begin with a vehicle where some of its stages are re-usable. Radhakrishnan said the Winged Re-usable Launch Vehicle technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), which is already configured, will now test the aerodynamics, aerothermal aspects and the controllability. <br /><br />The RLV-TD will act as a flying testbed to evaluate various technologies like hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air breathing propulsion. The project will help India own and operate a spacecraft modelled on the space shuttle and has “complexities of a rocket and an aircraft,” Radhakrishnan explained.<br /></p>
<p>Sources in India’s premier space agency had told Deccan Herald earlier that considerable advancement has been achieved on the tests and on the technology demonstrator. <br /><br />“The prototype will be ready in the next two years,” said ISRO Chairman K Radhakrishnan. Stating that this was a critical breakthrough for the agency, sources said: “Once completed, the prototype will allow us to assess how close we are to developing a fully re-usable Two Stage To Orbit .” <br /><br />The success, or failure or partial success, will allow ISRO to formulate objectives and decide on whether India can straightaway develop a fully re-usable vehicle or should the agency begin with a vehicle where some of its stages are re-usable. Radhakrishnan said the Winged Re-usable Launch Vehicle technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), which is already configured, will now test the aerodynamics, aerothermal aspects and the controllability. <br /><br />The RLV-TD will act as a flying testbed to evaluate various technologies like hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air breathing propulsion. The project will help India own and operate a spacecraft modelled on the space shuttle and has “complexities of a rocket and an aircraft,” Radhakrishnan explained.<br /></p>
