ISRO successfully launched its maiden indigenous winged Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV) from Sriharikota spaceport in Andhra Pradesh on Monday.

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The RLV Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD), that is ultimately aimed at putting satellites into orbit around Earth and then re-enter the atmosphere, was carried up on a solid rocket motor.

Here are 8 things you need to know about the ISRO RLV-TD project:

  • ISRO's RLV-TD is 6.5-m-long or 2 storey tall and weighs 1.75 tonne which is equivalent to the weight of a SUV.
  • The government has spent around Rs 95 crore on this project which has taken five years to materialize.
  • The rocket was built at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre in Thirvananthapuram, which is India's rocket designing and fabrication laboratory.
  • A team of 600 scientists were involved in building the RLV-TD rocket.
  • ISRO will launch two more prototype tests before it launches the final versions which will be around 40 metres (around 12 storey) tall by 2030.
  • The final RLV will also be able to carry Indian astronauts.
  • The data collected from the first RLV-TD test will be used in improving the designs of the next.
  • While ISRO's first reusable rocket landed on a make-shift runway in Bay of Bengal, going ahead, RLV's will have an undercarriage that will be placed to enable it to land back in Sriharikota.