Indian Space Agency ISRO announced first successful test of an experimental space shuttle unmanned. The ship is expected to enter operation in 15 years
It is also an unmanned experimental shuttle, with only seven meters long, that is, with a sixth of the size that the spacecraft will have the future, but its release yesterday from the space base located north of Chennai, India, has become a new landmark space program of that country. India therefore reiterates its commitment to the space and intended to also participate in this race, after his previous success with Mangalyaan probe sent to Mars.
The Indian space shuttle still has long way to go should only be operational within 15 years, but this release, which served mainly to test re-entry maneuver in the atmosphere, without the expectation of the mill recovery is a first success in developing its own technology for the flight return to orbit earth by the Indian space agency ISRO.
it was in this sense, by the way, the statements of the spokesman of ISRO after the launch of the space mini-mill. “We successfully concluded the RLV mission [Reusable Launch Vehicle] technology demonstration,” said Devi Prasad Karnik at the end of the mission.
With its nearly two tons, the mini-shuttle reached an altitude of 70 kilometers, and then started the descent and re-entry to later fall into the open ocean.
This first mission will have served above all to analyze the speed of the shuttle’s re-entry into earth’s atmosphere, and is just the beginning of a journey that will still last for more than a decade. But with this new success, India is up to the countries that are committed to developing space shuttles for manned flights, a ‘business segment “in which some heavyweights of US industry are betting high (and more time), with support from NASA, which canceled its own shuttle program in 2011.
in the United States, one of the most advanced projects in this field is that of SpaceX, which in addition to a ship reusable is also developing its own space launcher, but Europe, Russia and Japan are also developing their own technologies in this area of space.
the European prototype, the IXV of Intermediate experimental Vehicle, already made by the way, last year, a complete turn in the earth’s orbit and amarou then along the Galapagos, in what was considered a great success by ESA, the European space agency.
Freshly into this race, India has spared no financial efforts to meet this first release experiences. Developed over the past five years, the mini-shuttle represented a total investment of 12.5 million euros.
In 2014, India celebrated its first major space made by placing a probe in orbit Mars. It also became the first Asian country to fulfill a mission of this magnitude alone. China, which in recent years also turned out in force to the area, chose to invest in manned spaceflight and build its own space station, whose first modules are now operational and has temporarily received the first astronauts.
Launched with a crash to November 5, 2013, the Mars probe “low cost” of India – cost about 57 million, nearly one tenth of its American counterparts – reached the Red Planet in September 2014, successfully entered the its orbit right on the first try, and a few hours later, sent its first pictures attesting a functioning without blemish.
the mission, which beyond the planet surface images is collecting data to better understand the Martian climate as well as the fate of the water already there ran for millions of years, is still operational.
in addition to the Mars probe and future shuttle, India is also investing in a navigation own program by satellite, IRNSS (the initials in English of the regional navigation system expression by India satellite), which includes seven satellites, all of them already in orbit – the last was successfully launched on 28 April. The start of operation of the system is planned for next June, becoming autonomous there too.
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