The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) completed the third Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) Landing Experiment (LEX) on June 23 at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga (Karnataka).
- This is the third and final test in the series of LEX (03) .
- Following the success of the RLV LEX-01 and LEX-02 missions, RLV LEX-03 re-demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the RLV under more challenging release conditions (cross range of 500 m against 150 m for LEX-02) and more severe wind conditions.
- During the third test, the winged vehicle, Pushpak, was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km.
- ISRO said that from a release point 4.5 km away from the runway, Pushpak autonomously executed cross-range correction manoeuvres, approached the runway and performed a precise horizontal landing at the runway centreline.
- This mission replicated the approach, landing interface, and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle reentering from space, highlighting ISRO’s proficiency in acquiring crucial technologies for Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) development.
- The RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems from the LEX-02 mission without any modification, showcasing ISRO’s capability to design reusable flight systems for multiple missions.
