RLV LEX-03 Mission

ISRO has recently achieved a third consecutive success in the final test of the RLV Landing EXperiment (LEX).

About RLV LEX-03 Mission:

• The RLV LEX-03 mission is designed to simulate high-speed landing conditions for a vehicle returning from space.
• Utilized a winged vehicle named ‘Pushpak’, which autonomously approached the runway and performed a precise horizontal landing, unlike vertical landings like SpaceX’s Falcon 9.
• The test re-demonstrated the autonomous landing capability of the RLV under more challenging release conditions, reaffirming ISRO’s expertise in critical technologies for RLV development.

What are the RLV LEX Missions?

• RLV LEX missions are part of the RLV-Technology Demonstration Programme aimed at developing a fully reusable launch vehicle for low-cost access to space.
• Missions include HEX01 (2016) and three LEX missions, with plans for an Orbital Re-entry Experiment (ORE) that involves staying in orbit for a stipulated period, then re-entering and landing autonomously.
• The mission series was conducted by the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the Liquid Propulsion System Centre (LPSC), and the ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU).