The race to develop a reusable spacecraft has a new challenger: India.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) on Monday successfully tested an unmanned reusable space shuttle model. The Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) began its skyward journey from a launch site in Sriharikota, India, and soared 40 miles above solid ground before coming down into the Bay of Bengal. The total flight lasted less than 13 minutes.
"The vehicle's Navigation, Guidance, and Control system accurately steered the vehicle during [atmospheric re-entry] for safe descent," ISRO said in a statement. "After successfully surviving high temperatures of re-entry with the help of its Thermal Protection System, RLV-TD successfully glided down to the defined landing spot over Bay of Bengal… thereby fulfilling its mission objectives."
According to the BBC, India has been funneling "substantial research and resources" into its space efforts as of late, and hopes to launch a "full-scale reusable shuttle" within the decade. The 1.75-ton RLV-TD was developed over the past five years at a cost of $14 million, the report notes.
"In this flight, critical technologies such as autonomous navigation, guidance and control, reusable thermal protection system, and re-entry mission management have been successfully validated," ISRO said.
In a tweet Monday, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi congratulated the crew on their successful launch, calling it "the result of the industrious efforts of our scientists."
India isn't the only one working to develop reusable rockets. Typically, rockets are not salvageable and crash into the ocean after a mission, but US companies like Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX have been working on space vehicles that can be reused, saving precious man hours and money for future flights.
Blue Origin recently logged its third successful flight into space with the same hardware in less than five months – an impressive feat that further proves reusable rockets are now a reality. Japan, Europe, and Russia are also reportedly testing similar technologies.