The Indian Space Research Organisation has achieved a successful test of its Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX), bringing India closer to obtaining its own reusable launch vehicle. According to a statement from the agency, the RLV lifted off with an Indian Air Force Chinook helicopter as an underslung load, reaching a height of 4.5 km. The RLV LEX is a spacecraft that requires a high glide angle trajectory and landing speeds of 350 kmph, due to its low lift-to-drag ratio. Innovative technologies, such as accurate navigation hardware and software, a pseudolite system, and a NavIC receiver, were utilized in the RLV LEX test. The RLV-TD test (HEX1) had previously landed on a fictitious runway, but the LEX experiment successfully landed on an accurate runway at the Aeronautical Test Range in Chitradurga, Karnataka. The ultimate aim of a reusable rocket vehicle is to provide a low-cost, dependable, and on-demand method of accessing space.
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