SpaceX's Falcon Heavy Impact? ISRO Working on Reusable Rocket Stages to Reduce Mission Cost
ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan said that ISRO has been working on reusable technology for quite some years. Sivan said that the ISRO research and development department is working on three technology demonstrators.
Mumbai, February 8: Just like the world's most powerful rocket, SpaceX's Falcon Heavy, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) too has been working on the reusable rocket stages that would reduce mission costs. Setting the bar for future space launches, the SpaceX blasted off its highly anticipated maiden test flight – the Falcon Heavy rocket on Tuesday. The SpaceX's Falcon Heavy carried CEO Elon Musk's cherry red Tesla roadster to an orbit near Mars.
According to a report by TOI, ISRO Chairman Dr K Sivan said that ISRO has been working on reusable technology for quite some years. Sivan said that the ISRO research and development department is working on three technology demonstrators. “First one on the orbital re-entry of the vehicle, second on the landing of the reusable launch vehicle on the airstrip and third on reusable rocket stages. Isro's research work on these three technologies is simultaneously going on and we hope to do a second technology demonstrator test (first experiment on reusable launch vehicle was in 2016) within two years”, Sivan said.
SPACEX’S FALCON HEAVY
Falcon Heavy is a reusable super heavy-lift launch vehicle designed and manufactured by SpaceX. The Falcon Heavy is the world's 4th highest capacity rocket ever to be built, after Saturn V, Energia and N1 (rocket). Falcon Heavy was designed from the outset to carry humans into space, including the Moon and Mars. The Falcon Heavy (which was earlier described as the Falcon 9 Heavy) is a variant of the Falcon 9 vehicle and consists of a strengthened Falcon 9 rocket core with two additional Falcon 9 first stages as strap-on boosters.
The ISRO Chairman said that ISRO’s priority is to increase the lifting capability of GSLV Mk III from 4 tonnes to 6.5 tonnes. He said if the lifting capability is increased, India will no longer have to depend on the European spaceport for launching our heavier satellites weighing over 6 tonnes. Sivan also congratulated Elon Musk on the historic launch of the world's most powerful rocket of Space X's Falcon Heavy rocket. Sivan termed the accomplishment as "a quantum leap in space technology.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 08, 2018 04:51 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).