ISRO's Reusable Launch Vehicles

[Akask kumar]

3 questions to people who know about it more than me

1. Basically how is it different than the space shuttle of US / Russia,
2. While both US & russia have closed the space shuttle program we are starting one - does it make sense
3. is this a par tof / different from ULV - universal launch vehicle program of ISRO ?

its totally different.. and when u come to know about it functionality u want it now..
see here is the underlying difference..

1>comparing AVATAR-RLV with US shuttle is completely wrong , but if you compare it with US X-43 then you are heading in right direction--

2> US shuttle was multi-stage rocket based space entry vehicle..that relied on rocket to reach into space and then land to ground on its own.. AVATAR will not need any rocket , it will fly like normal plane from normal runway into space and will land on its own..No use of rocket..such type of aircraft are called as SSTO.(single stage to orbit)

3> AVATAR will use Ramjet & scramjet engines..and will carry just one type of fuel on board(hydrogen) for combustion it wil use atmospheric oxygen..once it will take of from land and reach mach 3 ,avatar will switch on scramjet and will cruise to mach 8 in the process it will liquify the atmospheric oxygen and store it for its use in space as space has no oxygen..once in space it will use H2 and on board O2 to generate thrust..

since there are no rocket and on board O2 , lot of money is saved here, plus this same craft can be used again and again..

4>Avatar will have two models one for cargo trasport(satellite) and other for crew(pilot)..

SO in nutshell avatar is an SSTO that can take you to space in one direct flight..without using rocket like an air craft..
It has great military potential..

 

[aditya g]

q: which is the longest runway in India?

 

[gslv markIII]

q: which is the longest runway in India?

You mean Civilian or military ? Arakkonam is the longest military one I think.

 

[sasum]

its totally different.. and when u come to know about it functionality u want it now..
see here is the underlying difference..

1>comparing AVATAR-RLV with US shuttle is completely wrong , but if you compare it with US X-43 then you are heading in right direction--

2> US shuttle was multi-stage rocket based space entry vehicle..that relied on rocket to reach into space and then land to ground on its own.. AVATAR will not need any rocket , it will fly like normal plane from normal runway into space and will land on its own..No use of rocket..such type of aircraft are called as SSTO.(single stage to orbit)

3> AVATAR will use Ramjet & scramjet engines..and will carry just one type of fuel on board(hydrogen) for combustion it wil use atmospheric oxygen..once it will take of from land and reach mach 3 ,avatar will switch on scramjet and will cruise to mach 8 in the process it will liquify the atmospheric oxygen and store it for its use in space as space has no oxygen..once in space it will use H2 and on board O2 to generate thrust..

since there are no rocket and on board O2 , lot of money is saved here, plus this same craft can be used again and again..

4>Avatar will have two models one for cargo trasport(satellite) and other for crew(pilot)..

SO in nutshell avatar is an SSTO that can take you to space in one direct flight..without using rocket like an air craft..
It has great military potential..

US has an equivalent project in X-51? China & Russia pursuing their own hyper-plane projects. How India is faring against those?

 

[Alien]

q: which is the longest runway in India?

Military: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/INS_Rajali

Civil: http://www.fropky.com/india-longest-runways-vt30916-1.html

ISRO specific - not sure

 

[HariPrasad-1]

Launching cost at 500 USD per KG. It is a bloody hell of a cost.

 

[Dash]

its totally different.. and when u come to know about it functionality u want it now..
see here is the underlying difference..

1>comparing AVATAR-RLV with US shuttle is completely wrong , but if you compare it with US X-43 then you are heading in right direction--

2> US shuttle was multi-stage rocket based space entry vehicle..that relied on rocket to reach into space and then land to ground on its own.. AVATAR will not need any rocket , it will fly like normal plane from normal runway into space and will land on its own..No use of rocket..such type of aircraft are called as SSTO.(single stage to orbit)

3> AVATAR will use Ramjet & scramjet engines..and will carry just one type of fuel on board(hydrogen) for combustion it wil use atmospheric oxygen..once it will take of from land and reach mach 3 ,avatar will switch on scramjet and will cruise to mach 8 in the process it will liquify the atmospheric oxygen and store it for its use in space as space has no oxygen..once in space it will use H2 and on board O2 to generate thrust..

since there are no rocket and on board O2 , lot of money is saved here, plus this same craft can be used again and again..

4>Avatar will have two models one for cargo trasport(satellite) and other for crew(pilot)..

SO in nutshell avatar is an SSTO that can take you to space in one direct flight..without using rocket like an air craft..
It has great military potential..

If you look at the picture above, its using a rocket for launching itself to orbit and then landing on a runway. How do you know that it will use an airstrip to go to space and use the same one to come back...Any source?

 

[aditya g]

Rajali has a runway @ 4103 meters.

ISRO will have to look at slowing the RLV by braking parachutes or use arrestor barrier.

 

[Chinmoy]

If you look at the picture above, its using a rocket for launching itself to orbit and then landing on a runway. How do you know that it will use an airstrip to go to space and use the same one to come back...Any source?

Yes...........I think it would use rocket booster to propel itself before switching on to RAMJET and then to SCRAMJET. Because technically RAMJET wouldnot work in subsonic speed. You would need to propel it to supersonic speed first so that RAMJET could work and take over from there.

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Reusable Launch Vehicle, RLV test in March, needs 5km runway

The Indian Space Research Organisation will fly a reusable launch vehicle (RLV) this March as a technology demonstration. This will be the first step towards developing a full-fledged vehicle that can go to space, inject an orbiter and come back to land.

Reusable vehicles reduce the cost of satellite launches by up to ten times. Moreover, in future, a much developed version of the vehicle could be used for manned missions.

Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre deputy director S Somanath said Isro has completed ground tests on the vehicle and is in the final phase of conducting a hypersonic test flight and landing in water. "It will be a winged vehicle that will take off vertically like a rocket and glide back to land horizontally like a plane," said Somanath, who is also the project director for GSLV MkIII, the biggest rocket from Isro's stables.

Fitted with solid strap-on thrusters similar to the ones used in PSLVs, the reusable vehicle will fly at five times the speed of sound (mach 3) to reach an altitude of more than 100km. This would last for barely five minutes. After activating its fin and wing controls, the vehicle will glide a bit before starting its descent. "In about 20 minutes after lift-off from Sriharikota, it would land in the Bay of Bengal, close to the shore," Somanath said.

The water landing is planned because India doesn't have a long enough runway. "We need at least a 5km runway. The longest of runways in the country is only 2km,"the scientist said. "We have enough land at Sriharikota for a runway, but this has to be sanctioned and funded for development.

The next experiment would be to land the vehicle on a 2km runway after releasing it from an aircraft from a height of about 5km. The third step would be to take it to a higher altitude and try the ground landing. "As the next step, we would try an air-breaking engine which is under development at Isro," Somanath said.

The multiple demonstration missions will lead to what Isro envisions as a 'two stage to orbit (TSTO) fully reusable vehicle. While India spends Rs300 crore upwards for satellite launches, reusable vehicles hold the key to more affordable launches. Today putting a 1kg object in space costs about $5000. "This should be brought down to at least $500. And reusable vehicles are the answer," said Somanath.

The US and Russia, which put human beings in space as early as in the 1960s, are also working on futuristic reusable vehicles for satellite launches.

source :
Another leap in space: India to test reusable vehicle in March - The Economic Times

RLV test can't occur in March. ISRO has to launch IRNSS 1G in March.
According to ISRO's G+ news wing, it was known to occur in April which would be followed by first commercial flight of GSLV in May or June.

 

[Akask kumar]

US has an equivalent project in X-51? China & Russia pursuing their own hyper-plane projects. How India is faring against those?

If you look at the picture above, its using a rocket for launching itself to orbit and then landing on a runway. How do you know that it will use an airstrip to go to space and use the same one to come back...Any source?

its a test.. you go step by step.. the first test model(that u see in pic) is a downscaled model of the AVATAR at the begining they will shoot it in space ,will test the aerodyanamics,control,heat tiles etc..

then i think they will test ramjet engines then scram jet.. for testing these engines i think they will piggy back AVATR on bigger plane .. like the NASA tested there X-43..look at the video..


it dsnt mean that AVATAR will always use other craft or rocket to get to mid air.. its an SSTO class craft which means single stage to orbit.. read in wiki.. its mentioned in detail.. IF INDIA DEVELOPS IT WE HAVE A GREAT FUTURE...GOING TO SPACE WILL BECOME AN EASY BUSINESS ..

 

[Akask kumar]

Rajali has a runway @ 4103 meters.

ISRO will have to look at slowing the RLV by braking parachutes or use arrestor barrier.

Yes...........I think it would use rocket booster to propel itself before switching on to RAMJET and then to SCRAMJET. Because technically RAMJET wouldnot work in subsonic speed. You would need to propel it to supersonic speed first so that RAMJET could work and take over from there.

no its an SSTO(signle stage to orbit) ,,yes ramjet and scramjet works at supersonic speed.. so i think there might be 4 type of engines..
1> turbojet for getting supersonic
2>ramjet for getting to mach 3-4
3>scramjet for getting to 4-8
4>cryogenic when in space (pls correct me here if some other engines are getting used in space)

its written everywhere(evn on wiki)this craft will take off from runway..
no country has developed an SSTO so far.. nasa is also currently developing

 

[Akask kumar]

RLV test can't occur in March. ISRO has to launch IRNSS 1G in March.
According to ISRO's G+ news wing, it was known to occur in April which would be followed by first commercial flight of GSLV in May or June.

damn! these commercial flights are ruining this project.. ISRO need more launching pad

 

[Indx TechStyle]

damn! these commercial flights are ruining this project.. ISRO need more launching pad

A third one is under construction. Which will be more advanced and capable of not only human spaceflight, modular rocket and proper AVATAR launching but also capable of launching ISRO's future 20-25 tonnes heavy rocket.
Anyway, commercial spaceflights never ruined space programs. ISRO earns more than it gets. Whenever government lates the budget, ISRO can arrange it itself.

 

[Akask kumar]

deleted...........................................................................

 

[Akask kumar]

so what the new date for avatar test?

 

[Akask kumar]

A third one is under construction. Which will be more advanced and capable of not only human spaceflight, modular rocket and proper AVATAR launching but also capable of launching ISRO's future 20-25 tonnes heavy rocket.
Anyway, commercial spaceflights never ruined space programs. ISRO earns more than it gets. Whenever government lates the budget, ISRO can arrange it itself.

so what the new date for avatar test?

 

[Chinmoy]

no its an SSTO(signle stage to orbit) ,,yes ramjet and scramjet works at supersonic speed.. so i think there might be 4 type of engines..
1> turbojet for getting supersonic
2>ramjet for getting to mach 3-4
3>scramjet for getting to 4-8
4>cryogenic when in space (pls correct me here if some other engines are getting used in space)

its written everywhere(evn on wiki)this craft will take off from runway..
no country has developed an SSTO so far.. nasa is also currently developing

I seriously doubt it. To reach at a speed of Mach 3, so that the RAMJET could work, you need serious thrust. More then what single conventional Tubojet could offer. Moreover as per design too, assembling four different engines on a single craft would be impractical in my opinion as it would exponentially increase the weight of the craft. Lets have a look back into what NASA had done with their Space shuttle.

 

[Akask kumar]

I seriously doubt it. To reach at a speed of Mach 3, so that the RAMJET could work, you need serious thrust. More then what single conventional Tubojet could offer. Moreover as per design too, assembling four different engines on a single craft would be impractical in my opinion as it would exponentially increase the weight of the craft. Lets have a look back into what NASA had done with their Space shuttle.

may be there wont be 4 different engines.. we can have a hybrid engine that work differently at different altitudes..like SKYLON of ESA.. it uses a hybrid sabre engines .. see the video for getting an idea what a SSTO is .. dnt mix it with shuttle..

 

[sasum]

i have seen on internet that DRDO has designed a model for this craft.. both AVATAR and hyper-plane project are based on scramjet & both are UAV..hyperplane should come earlier than AVATAR as avatar is more complex concept(multiple engines)..Dont know exact timeline of india's hyper plane but DRDO must be burning their arses as china has developed one

..but I think DRDO's initial collaborator Taneja Aerospace (Ciam Technologies) chickened out !!