ISRO Plans Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV-TD) Test Flight in 2013

[arp2041]

ISRO will test its Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) this year, VSSC director (research and development) John P Zachariah told the TOI recently.

ISRO is developing fully Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology for two stage to orbit (TSTO) capability.

The first stage will be powered by a semi cryogenic winged booster capable of flying back and landing on a runway near the launch site like a conventional aircraft after burnout.

The second stage will be cryogenic. It will deliver its payload into orbit, de-orbit and re-enter the atmosphere, and parachute down to a soft landing on balloons.

The RLV TSTO has been conceived by ISRO as a space launch system that will significantly cut down launch cost from the present level of around $12,000 / kg.

As a first step towards developing TSTO capability based on RLVs, ISRO will flight test a Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) that will serve as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies viz., hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air breathing propulsion.

ISRO displayed a scale model of the RLV-TD at Aero India 2009.

The RLV-TD will possess wings and tail fins, and will be launched atop a 9 ton solid booster called S-9, similar to the ones on the PSLV.

RLV-TD is reported to be 9m long, with its wing span also measuring 9m.

ISRO Plans Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) Test Flight in 2013

 

[arp2041]

DETAILS OF RLV-TD:

Introduction

ISRO is developing fully Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) technology for two stage to orbit (TSTO) capability.

The first stage will be powered by a semi cryogenic winged booster capable of flying back and landing on a runway near the launch site like a conventional aircraft after burnout.

The second stage will be cryogenic. It will deliver the satellite into orbit, de-orbit and re-enter the atmosphere and parachute down to a soft landing on balloons.

The RLV has been conceived by ISRO as a space launch system that will significantly cut down launch cost from the present level of around $12,000 / kg.

RLV-TD

As a first step towards developing TSTO capability based on RLVs, ISRO will flight test a Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) that will serve as a flying test bed to evaluate various technologies viz., hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air breathing propulsion.

ISRO displayed a scale model of the RLV-TD at Aero India 2009.

The RLV-TD will possess wings and tail fins, and will be launched atop a 9 ton solid booster called S-9, similar to the ones on the PSLV.

RLV-TD is reported to be 9m long, with its wing span also measuring 9m.
Design Approval

On January 5, 2012, DNA reported that the National Review Committee had approved the design of the RLV-TD.

An Isro official said design-related issues have been addressed and presented to the National Review Committee and clearance obtained to go ahead to build the RLV-TD.

Wind Tunnel Tests

ISRO has a hypersonic wind tunnel facility at VSSC, Trivandrum installed by Hind High Vacuum (HHV) Bangalore. The system comprises three Horton Spheres, each 16.3m dia. and 2200 cu m capacity. The system has two parallel pumping trains, each with two mechanical booster pumps with pumping speed of 30,000 cu m / hr backed successively by a 14,000 cu m / hr and 7,000 cu m / hr booster pump and finally by three rotary piston pumps, each with a pumping speed of 1325 cu m / hr.

As in January 2012, the facility was in the process of being commissioned.

Phased Development

Reusable Launch Vehicle technology will be developed in phases through a series of trial flights.

The first in the series of trials is the hypersonic flight experiment (HEX) followed by the landing experiment (LEX), return flight experiment (REX) and scramjet propulsion experiment (SPEX).
Hypersonic Flight Experiment (HEX)

Flight testing will start with RLV-TD (HEX). During the mission, a booster rocket will take the RLV to a specific altitude and release it. The booster rocket will fall back into the sea. The lofted RLV will re-enter the atmosphere independently and be guided for a controlled landing in the sea.

In the first trial-flight, the RLV will not be recovered from sea because it will not be cost-effective to do so. ISRO will instead use telemetry data data on the re-entry, deceleration and return.

Landing Experiment (LEX)

In the second phase RLV will be tested without its scramjet engine. After burnout, the booster will separate and fall away, and the RLV-TD will go on to make an unpowered ascent.

The RLV-TD will then re-enter the atmosphere at hypersonic speed and use aerodynamic breaking to decelerate. It will be brought to a gliding, unpowered cruise speed of about 0.8 mach, and slowed down further to make a horizontal landing.
Return Flight Experiment (REX)

In this phase, the RLV-TD will be launched to orbit and then de-orbited for a landing on a runway.

Scramjet Propulsion Experiment (SPEX)

Eventually, the RLV will be powered by an air breathing scram jet which is being developed under a separate project called Advanced Technology Vehicle (ATV).

Target Completion Date

When initially announced, it was hoped that RLV technology will mature by 2015, by which time the solid rocket booster capable of being recovered and reused would have been developed, as also the scramjet engine to power the RLV.

In June 2011, ISRO Chairman Dr. Radhakrishnan indicated that the program is behind schedule.

First flight of RLV, initially planned for 2010-2011 will now take place in 2012-2013.

“We have to understand a gamut of technologies and also prove many new systems. We have to study the aerodynamics of a winged body, the auto pilot, the aero-thermo dynamics, thermal protection system, the de-boost operations for re-entry, navigation and guidance to land precisely on the ground. Of course, some of the lessons learnt from the space shuttle will be incorporated in this vehicle,” Dr. Radhakrishnan said.

Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) - Indian Space Projects

Also a good read:

http://espace.library.uq.edu.au/eserv/UQ:121518/Reddy_afmc_16_07.pdf

 

[Screambowl]

if you see the total design. This is something very new and cost effective. But mounting the orbiter like that on the booster would really need very high precision measurements to balance the center of gravity during and before the launch. To make this design balanced , lot of brain work is required


one more doubt. I think during launch the orbiter will exert a lot of pressure on the Truss which connects the 1st stage booster with the orbiter because the orbiter will only start its engine after 1st stage booster shuts down. In any case the orbiter should not be heavier than 1st stage booster

 

[PITA]

The black mushroomy thing looks like the back of Darth Vader's head.

 

[arp2041]

Also Check out the Video:

if you see the total design. This is something very new and cost effective.

Exactly, as the article said, the current cost of a launch is around $12000/kg, ISRO wants to bring down the cost to around $1000-2000/kg by using a Reusable Launch Vehicle such as these as a single vehicle can be used around 40-50 times. In any launch vehicle, the lost stages play 80% of the cost of overall mission, if we can designed it to be a reusable one, it obviously acts as a much more cost effective solution.

But mounting the orbiter like that on the booster would really need very high precision measurements to balance the center of gravity during and before the launch. To make this design balanced , lot of brain work is required.

one more doubt. I think during launch the orbiter will exert a lot of pressure on the Truss which connects the 1st stage booster with the orbiter because the orbiter will only start its engine after 1st stage booster shuts down. In any case the orbiter should not be heavier than 1st stage booster

ISRO is working on the Two-Stage To Orbit (TSTO) vehicle design instead of earlier planned Single Stage To Orbit (SSTO), i just see the launcher & the booster as the Scaled-up version of the earlier SRE experiment conducted by the ISRO, as than, PSLV acted as a sort of booster while SRE was designed to be a smaller version of a Re-entry Vehicle, i see no problems whatsoever in this one, since if ISRO can get a success with smaller design, so can it get the same with a much larger one.


also @Hyperion, ur views??

 

[BlueDot_in_Space]

if you see the total design. This is something very new and cost effective. But mounting the orbiter like that on the booster would really need very high precision measurements to balance the center of gravity during and before the launch. To make this design balanced , lot of brain work is required


one more doubt. I think during launch the orbiter will exert a lot of pressure on the Truss which connects the 1st stage booster with the orbiter because the orbiter will only start its engine after 1st stage booster shuts down. In any case the orbiter should not be heavier than 1st stage booster

If you are alluding to the RLV-TD design then thats not the RL vehicle. RLV-TD is a low cost concept that aims to demonstrate technologies required for the first stage of the RLV. The solid booster has nothing to do with the RLV, but to achieve a particular mission profile for second stage of the RLV-TD that looks like shuttle. The shuttle on top of the solid booster is actually a scaled down version of the first stage of the RLV and will be used to establish corresponding technologies. Second stage of the RLV will be derived from technologies established through Space capsule recovery experiments.

The RLV

The Technologies

 

[arp2041]

@BlueDot_in_Space whats the difference b/w a TSTO & a SSTO?? If i am not wrong, than Is SSTO much more complex tech. vehicle than a TSTO where the complete vehicle is recovered & is reusable??

 

[BlueDot_in_Space]

@<u><a href="http://www.defence.pk/forums/member.php?u=37139" target="_blank">BlueDot_in_Space</a></u> whats the difference b/w a TSTO & a SSTO?? If i am not wrong, than Is SSTO much more complex tech. vehicle than a TSTO where the complete vehicle is recovered & is reusable??

You are right. SSTO is far advanced concept than TSTO. As the name suggests, SSTO is a single stage to orbit space plane envisaged by ISRO that is also called AVATAR. SSTO will take off like a normal airplane from the run way using a pair of jet turbine engines. After achieving a particular height, SSTO will switch to rocket engines. Once its speed reaches above 6 MACH, SSTO will switch to air breathing scram jet engines. After completing its missions, it will land back like a conventional plane. SSTO is similar to SKYLON space plane concept.

TSTO on the other hand is a two stage to orbit concept. It will be launched like a rocket vertically. The first stage is a shuttle like vehicle that after completing its mission will fly back to the launch site and land like airplane. The second stage will deploy the payloads in the orbit, re-enter the earth atmosphere and splash down in sea (may use parachutes and land on bags), which is very similar to SRE experiments.


TSTO

SSTO

SKYLON

 

[S-DUCT]

@Blue *** in spaceAny info on cryogenic engine that is in 1st stage of RLV-TD???

 

[BlueDot_in_Space]

@Blue *** in spaceAny info on cryogenic engine that is in 1st stage of RLV-TD???

First stage of TSTO will be a SC460, i.e., 460 tonnes of propellant loding (slight changes possible) using 3-4 semi-cryo engines of 2000 KN thrust. Propellants will be liquid oxygen and Isrosene (specialised kerosene developed by ISRO). Semi cryo engine is under development and hope to be tested by 2017-2018.

 

[KRAIT]

WTF.........Didn't see that coming. A great surprise.

@arp2041 Thanks for making my day start on such a wonderful news.

Hope we succeed and soon start using it for commercial purpose.

How many countries have this capability ?

 

[arp2041]

You are right. SSTO is far advanced concept than TSTO. As the name suggests, SSTO is a single stage to orbit space plane envisaged by ISRO that is also called AVATAR. SSTO will take off like a normal airplane from the run way using a pair of jet turbine engines. After achieving a particular height, SSTO will switch to rocket engines. Once its speed reaches above 6 MACH, SSTO will switch to air breathing scram jet engines. After completing its missions, it will land back like a conventional plane. SSTO is similar to SKYLON space plane concept.

TSTO on the other hand is a two stage to orbit concept. It will be launched like a rocket vertically. The first stage is a shuttle like vehicle that after completing its mission will fly back to the launch site and land like airplane. The second stage will deploy the payloads in the orbit, re-enter the earth atmosphere and splash down in sea (may use parachutes and land on bags), which is very similar to SRE experiments.

So according to you, both stages of a TSTO are reusable??

 

[BlueDot_in_Space]

So according to you, both stages of a TSTO are reusable??

According to ISRO both are reusable.

 

[arp2041]

WTF.........Didn't see that coming. A great surprise.

@arp2041 Thanks for making my day start on such a wonderful news.

Hope we succeed and soon start using it for commercial purpose.

How many countries have this capability ?

Have you heard of G-2 or a G-5 or G-20 clubs ever??

Here's a new G-4 Club for you:

Reusable launch vehicle puts India in `G4` | Business Standard

US, Russia, China & INDIA.

 

[KRAIT]

Have you heard of G-2 or a G-5 or G-20 clubs ever??
Here's a new G-4 Club for you:
Reusable launch vehicle puts India in `G4` | Business Standard
US, Russia, China & INDIA.

Heard of it, wanted to be sure.