ISRO RLV LEX-03 - Pushpak’s final test

ISRO’s third and final Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX-03) was conducted at Aeronautical Test Range (ATR), Chitradurga in Karnataka, on 23 June 2024. The Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), called Pushpak, was released from an altitude of 4.5 km, at a distance of 4.5 km from the runway. According to the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), “this mission simulated the approach and landing interface and high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space”. “The landing velocity exceeded 320 kmph. After touchdown, the vehicle velocity was reduced to nearly 100 kmph using its brake parachute, after which the landing gear brakes were employed for deceleration and stop on the runway”. Credit: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO)