India continues to delay the launch of the RLV-TD spacecraft due to technical problems

Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) is a re-used spacecraft developed by India and planned to launch in February this year. However, due to technical difficulties, the test plan continued to be delayed in April, the third time postponed since the announcement in mid-2015.

RLV-TD is Avatar's two-stage spacecraft prototype, designed to drastically reduce the cost of launching goods into orbit from $ 5000 / kg to $ 500 / kg. The RLV-TD has wings and a fully propelled system, so this prototype test operation will allow the complete Avatar vessel to orbit and return to the Earth-controlled shuttle.

India's spacecraft was postponed to April due to technical problems.

However, K Sivan - Sarabhai Vikram space center director (VSSC) where the ship was developed said it had discovered a minor problem in the ship's flight systems, so the vessel needed to be assembled. causing the flight plan to be delayed.

Once fully overcome, RLV-TD will carry out a series of flights to test the ability to fly at five times the speed of sound, land, fly back and test the performance of the thruster system. Ultrasound static force (scramjet) before VSSC started to build the complete version of Avatar ship. RLV-TD will take off with a conventional rocket to speed up Mach 5 (6125km / h). After the separation, the ship will rush to a height of 100km before re-infiltration.

When the atmosphere is thick enough, the RLV-TD will slide over the air to an area of ​​recovery and land on the water surface in the Bay of Bengal. The reason for landing at sea by India does not have a 5km runway for this aircraft.