Reusable Launch Vehicle – Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD)

Satellites are typically deployed by expensive rockets which disintegrate in phases en route to space; however, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is working on developing the technology for a winged rocket that can be used repeatedly, a senior official said.

ISRO is currently integrating the flight model. In the technology demonstrator, ISRO will test if the 12-tonne vehicle can reach five times the speed of sound, whether it can re-enter the atmosphere and land on the sea using its computer system. To be sure, this will be a technological demonstration and the tested vehicle will not be reusable.