Pushpak ‘Viman’

• The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) successfully completed its third mission with the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) dubbed “Pushpak” on March 22, 2024.
• The major goal of the Pushpak mission is to develop essential technologies for a fully reusable launch vehicle, allowing for low-cost access to space.
• The launch vehicle was airlifted to an altitude of about 5 km by an Indian Air Force helicopter and released after meeting predetermined pillbox parameters.

ABOUT THE MISSION:

• ISRO had successfully completed previous RLV missions in 2016 and April of the previous year. The company intends to scale up the RLV-TD to become the first stage of India’s reusable two-stage orbital launch vehicle.
• The Pushpak RLV is a rocket-powered, fully reusable single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) vehicle. It combines several key components from advanced technology demonstrations such as the X-33, X-34 testbed, and modified DC-XA flying demonstrator.
• The vehicle has a fuselage, a nose cap, double delta wings, twin vertical tails, and active control surfaces known as Elevons and Rudder.
• The Pushpak project, named after the fabled spaceship from the Ramayana, is expected to cost more than Rs 100 crore (approx. $13.5 million).
• The Pushpak expedition is named after the fabled spaceship from the ancient Indian epic Ramayana.
• The Indian Air Force played an important role in the mission by deploying a Chinook chopper to hoist the Pushpak RLV to the required height.
• Pushpak RLV combines improved elements from many technology demonstrations, such as the X-33, X-34, and the enhanced DC-XA.