The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) announced on Sunday that it has achieved a third consecutive success in the Reusable Launch Vehicle Landing Experiment. This demonstration showcased the autonomous landing capability of the launch vehicle under more challenging conditions.
The mission, known as Landing Experiment-03 (LEX-03), simulated high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space, highlighting ISRO's expertise in critical technologies necessary for the development of a Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV). LEX-03 took place at the Aeronautical Test Range (ATR) in Chitradurga, Karnataka, at 07:10 IST.
Following the successes of LEX-01 and LEX-02, this third test reconfirmed the autonomous landing capability of the RLV under even more challenging conditions, such as a cross range of 500 m compared to 150 m in LEX-02 and severe wind conditions.
The winged vehicle, named 'Pushpak', was released from an Indian Air Force Chinook Helicopter at an altitude of 4.5 km, autonomously executing cross-range correction maneuvers before performing a precise horizontal landing at the runway centerline. Despite its low lift-to-drag ratio aerodynamic configuration, Pushpak landed at a velocity exceeding 320 kmph.
After touchdown, Pushpak reduced its velocity to nearly 100 kmph using a brake parachute before employing landing gear brakes for deceleration and stopping on the runway. The vehicle autonomously maintained stability and precision during the ground roll phase using its rudder and nose wheel steering system.
ISRO highlighted that this mission validated advanced guidance algorithms essential for future Orbital Re-entry Missions. The RLV-LEX employed multi-sensor fusion with sensors like Inertial sensor, Radar altimeter, Flush air data system, Pseudolite system, and NavIC.
Notably, the RLV-LEX-03 mission reused the winged body and flight systems from the LEX-02 mission without any modifications, showcasing ISRO's design robustness for reusing flight systems. Led by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), this collaborative effort involved multiple ISRO centers and received significant support from various organizations and institutions.
S Somanath, Chairman of ISRO/Secretary of the Department of Space, commended the team for their efforts, emphasizing the importance of maintaining success in complex missions.
Dr. S Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of VSSC, noted that this consistent success enhances ISRO's confidence in critical technologies needed for future orbital re-entry missions. J Muthupandian served as the Mission Director, and B Karthik as the Vehicle Director for this successful mission.
