India to Launch First Reusable Space Shuttle this May

Space exploration is a complex science which is why it is understandable for whoever engaged in space science to spend billions of dollars in developing their technology alone.

India isn't getting left behind. The country is about to launch the first version of their Indian-made reusable space shuttle.

India's reusable space shuttle is set to be launched to space this month. According to TechTimes, ot is the first launch of a space shuttle made in India. The space shuttle was developed by the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) and it is called the Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD).

This launch will be historic for India and if it succeeds, India can compete with the big names in space technology such as SpaceX and NASA.

The spacecraft has a sleek winged body design. For the test flight, the Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD) will be launched to check its flight capabilities. Scientists will fly the reusable model and land it again at the Bay of Bengal.

India is still lacking the landing site for rockets, while other space technology frontrunners are working on developing vertical descent to enable recycling of rockets.

India's 'frugal' engineers thought of recycling rockets to make it reusable, according to a news report by Times of India. With the reusable technology, scientists at ISRO said they can cut the cost of space launch by up to 10 times or $2,000 per kg. But India's reusable space shuttle technology is yet to be proven effective.

The experiment will prove India's capacity to create a reusable space shuttle and if the velocity is enough to launch the spacecraft outside the Earth.

After testing the Indian Space Shuttle this month, the final version is expected to be completed in 10 to 15 years and will most likely be renamed as 'Kalamyaan' after India's famous former President APJ Abdul Kalam who was an aeronautics engineer.

ISRO said manpower made up of 600 scientists and engineers helped in developing their reusable space shuttle. And once the test flight succeeds, India's spot in space technology will be secured, along with space giants such as the US and the UK.