The Saturn V remains the tallest rocket flown at 111 metres, overshadowing the 98-metre Artemis SLS. However, the Artemis rocket is the most powerful operational vehicle, generating 15 per cent more thrust. Future upgrades will eventually see the Artemis rocket grow to match the Saturn V's.

How big is the Artemis launch vehicle compared to Saturn V and Falcon Heavy?

<p>At 7:40am on Sunday morning, the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) performed a feat that brought to fruition an idea born 20 years ago — the runway landing of an unmanned, fully autonomous, indigenous space plane.</p>

<p>Known as 'RLV-TD' (Reusable launch vehicle-Technology Demonstrator) the space place was dropped mid-air from an altitude of 4.5km, by an Indian Air Force 'Chinook' tandem-rotor helicopter, from where the space plane glided down, performed autonomous navigation, guidance and control calculations, manoeuvred deftly and landed precisely on a runway at&nbsp;high speed&nbsp;of 350kmph.</p>

<p>Watch | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/watch-two-dead-a-child-injured-after-hot-air-balloon-catches-fire-mid-air-in-mexico-578162">Hot air balloon catches fire mid-air in Mexico, two dead and a child injured</a></p>

<p>Top ISRO officials told WION that the plane landed just as planned, perfectly along the runway centreline and the spaceplane is in impeccable condition, at the tarmac in Chitradurga, Karnataka.&nbsp;</p>

<div class="ui-state-default" contenteditable="false">
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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">What a wow moment, a 20yr old dream becomes a reality for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/isro?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#isro</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/india?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#india</a> 🇮🇳🇮🇳🚀🚀🚀<br />
<br />
Here’s the RLV-TD <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/indian?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#indian</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/space?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#space</a> plane autonomously coming in to land and touching down at speeds close to 350kmph… it was a flawless landing and the plane is in impeccable condition <a href="https://twitter.com/isro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@isro</a> <a href="https://t.co/kuIDo2GqqP">pic.twitter.com/kuIDo2GqqP</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1642392331860213761?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>"In a first in the world, a winged body has been carried to an altitude of 4.5 km by a helicopter and released for carrying out an autonomous landing on a runway. RLV is essentially a space plane with a low lift to drag ratio requiring an approach at high glide angles that necessitated a landing at high velocities of 350 kmph," said the Indian Space agency, ISRO.</p>

<p>Post the successful touch-down and landing of the space plane, ISRO Chairman&nbsp;Dr. S. Somanath appreciated the team of Indian scientists. This space plane landing is an effort of Indian Space agency ISRO, India's Defence Research Lab DRDO, and the Indian Air Force, among others.</p>

<p>Also Read | <a href="https://www.wionews.com/south-asia/nepal-president-ramchandra-paudel-admitted-to-hospital-578148">Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel admitted to hospital</a></p>

<p>"The very first (runway landing) experiment is now successful. I'm very sure it is meeting almost all the objectives that we had defined long back. This will continue, few more landing experiments will be done under different conditions to prove the ruggedness of the software and the hardware that we have put in," said Dr. S. Somanath. He was present along with his team to witness the historic moment.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">“Today’s successful landing demonstration is a step towards developing India’s own re-usable rocket/landing craft..work underway to take this vehicle to orbit and then land it successfully ‘ORV’ mission.. congrats. More tests coming up” says Dr.S. Somanath, Chairman <a href="https://twitter.com/isro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@isro</a> 🚀🇮🇳🇮🇳 <a href="https://t.co/IRePhaUJZy">pic.twitter.com/IRePhaUJZy</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1642399731287482368?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>He added that this was a great opportunity for India to develop an 'ORV' (orbital landing experiment) and that this work was already progressing. ORV is where the same space plane is flown to space atop a rocket and then brought back to land, completely autonomously.</p>

<p>"Today's step is taking us closer to reusable rocket/landing craft for very specific mission goals," he said. India has so far been using expendable rockets that fall back into the sea after launch, once this spaceplane becomes a reality, it would make India among the handful nations that have a re-usable orbital space vehicle.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Explaining the progress of RLV testing, VSSC Director, Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair told WION about how the same RLV-TD vehicle had earlier (in 2016) successfully been carried to 65km&nbsp;altitude by a rocket. From there, the vehicle re-entered the denser parts of the atmopshere at Hypersonic speeds, almost five times the speed of sound and finally made a splashdown landing in the Bay of Bengal (simulated runway).</p>

<p><strong>Watch | WION Exclusive: Indian Actor Dia Mirza speaks to WION on playing Geetanjali in 'Bheed'</strong></p>

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<p>However, the ocean landing was a preliminary step and the precise runway landing is a really sophisticated and technologically complex feat that takes forward the progress of making the spaceplane a reality, he added.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Dr. Nair also said that this RLV-TD vehicle was meant for demonstration purpose and the real vehicle would be about 1.6 times larger. Specifying how the final RLV spaceplane would work, he said that the spaceplane would be mounted atop a modified-GSLV rocket and then launched into space, where the spaceplane would be autonomously carrying out on-board experiments and operating its payloads.</p>

<p>The spaceplane could function in Low Earth orbit for up to a month and then autonomously perform de-orbiting and re-enter the earth's atmosphere and come in to land on the runway. This ensures that the spaceplane can be fully re-used, after carrying out a few refurbishments.&nbsp;</p>

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<p dir="ltr" lang="en">A hero is born! India’s indigenous <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/space?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#space</a> plane RLV-TD seen autonomously carrying out navigation, guidance, control, as it comes in for a perfect landing, right on the runway centre line<br />
<br />
It’s moments like these that reflect decades of planning, tireless R&amp;D 🚀🚀🇮🇳🇮🇳 <a href="https://twitter.com/isro?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@isro</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/tech?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#tech</a> <a href="https://t.co/TT1w4Tqpbt">pic.twitter.com/TT1w4Tqpbt</a></p>
— Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) <a href="https://twitter.com/sdhrthmp/status/1642405148399124480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">April 2, 2023</a></blockquote>
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<p>On the latest test and the homegrown systems for the same, ISRO said LEX utilised several indigenous systems. Localised Navigation systems based on pseudolite systems, instrumentation, and sensor systems, etc. were developed by ISRO.</p>

<p>Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the landing site with a Ka-band Radar Altimeter provided accurate altitude information. The RLV LEX demanded several state-of-the-art technologies including accurate Navigation hardware and software, Pseudolite system, Ka-band Radar Altimeter, NavIC receiver, indigenous Landing Gear, Aerofoil honey-comb fins and brake parachute system, the Indian space agency added.&nbsp;<br />
<br />
&nbsp;</p>

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At 7:40am on Sunday morning, the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) performed a feat that brought to fruition an idea born 20 years ago — the runway landing of an unmanned, fully autonomous, indigenous space plane.

At 7:40am on Sunday morning, the Indian Space Research Organisation(ISRO) performed a feat that brought to fruition an idea born 20 years ago — the runway landing of an unmanned, fully autonomous, indigenous space plane. Known as 'RLV-TD' (Reusable launch vehicle-Technology Demonstrator) the space place was dropped mid-air from an altitude of 4.5km, by an Indian Air Force 'Chinook' tandem-rotor helicopter, from where the space plane glided down, performed autonomous navigation, guidance and control calculations, manoeuvred deftly and landed precisely on a runway at high speed of 350kmph. Watch | Hot air balloon catches fire mid-air in Mexico, two dead and a child injured Top ISRO officials told WION that the plane landed just as planned, perfectly along the runway centreline and the spaceplane is in impeccable condition, at the tarmac in Chitradurga, Karnataka. What a wow moment, a 20yr old dream becomes a reality for #isro #india 🇮🇳🇮🇳🚀🚀🚀 Here’s the RLV-TD #indian #space plane autonomously coming in to land and touching down at speeds close to 350kmph… it was a flawless landing and the plane is in impeccable condition @isro pic.twitter.com/kuIDo2GqqP — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 2, 2023 × "In a first in the world, a winged body has been carried to an altitude of 4.5 km by a helicopter and released for carrying out an autonomous landing on a runway. RLV is essentially a space plane with a low lift to drag ratio requiring an approach at high glide angles that necessitated a landing at high velocities of 350 kmph," said the Indian Space agency, ISRO. Post the successful touch-down and landing of the space plane, ISRO Chairman Dr. S. Somanath appreciated the team of Indian scientists. This space plane landing is an effort of Indian Space agency ISRO, India's Defence Research Lab DRDO, and the Indian Air Force, among others. Also Read | Nepal President Ramchandra Paudel admitted to hospital "The very first (runway landing) experiment is now successful. I'm very sure it is meeting almost all the objectives that we had defined long back. This will continue, few more landing experiments will be done under different conditions to prove the ruggedness of the software and the hardware that we have put in," said Dr. S. Somanath. He was present along with his team to witness the historic moment. “Today’s successful landing demonstration is a step towards developing India’s own re-usable rocket/landing craft..work underway to take this vehicle to orbit and then land it successfully ‘ORV’ mission.. congrats. More tests coming up” says Dr.S. Somanath, Chairman @isro 🚀🇮🇳🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/IRePhaUJZy — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 2, 2023 × He added that this was a great opportunity for India to develop an 'ORV' (orbital landing experiment) and that this work was already progressing. ORV is where the same space plane is flown to space atop a rocket and then brought back to land, completely autonomously. "Today's step is taking us closer to reusable rocket/landing craft for very specific mission goals," he said. India has so far been using expendable rockets that fall back into the sea after launch, once this spaceplane becomes a reality, it would make India among the handful nations that have a re-usable orbital space vehicle. Explaining the progress of RLV testing, VSSC Director, Dr. S. Unnikrishnan Nair told WION about how the same RLV-TD vehicle had earlier (in 2016) successfully been carried to 65km altitude by a rocket. From there, the vehicle re-entered the denser parts of the atmopshere at Hypersonic speeds, almost five times the speed of sound and finally made a splashdown landing in the Bay of Bengal (simulated runway). Watch | WION Exclusive: Indian Actor Dia Mirza speaks to WION on playing Geetanjali in 'Bheed' × However, the ocean landing was a preliminary step and the precise runway landing is a really sophisticated and technologically complex feat that takes forward the progress of making the spaceplane a reality, he added. Dr. Nair also said that this RLV-TD vehicle was meant for demonstration purpose and the real vehicle would be about 1.6 times larger. Specifying how the final RLV spaceplane would work, he said that the spaceplane would be mounted atop a modified-GSLV rocket and then launched into space, where the spaceplane would be autonomously carrying out on-board experiments and operating its payloads. The spaceplane could function in Low Earth orbit for up to a month and then autonomously perform de-orbiting and re-enter the earth's atmosphere and come in to land on the runway. This ensures that the spaceplane can be fully re-used, after carrying out a few refurbishments. A hero is born! India’s indigenous #space plane RLV-TD seen autonomously carrying out navigation, guidance, control, as it comes in for a perfect landing, right on the runway centre line It’s moments like these that reflect decades of planning, tireless R&D 🚀🚀🇮🇳🇮🇳 @isro #tech pic.twitter.com/TT1w4Tqpbt — Sidharth.M.P (@sdhrthmp) April 2, 2023 × On the latest test and the homegrown systems for the same, ISRO said LEX utilised several indigenous systems. Localised Navigation systems based on pseudolite systems, instrumentation, and sensor systems, etc. were developed by ISRO. Digital Elevation Model (DEM) of the landing site with a Ka-band Radar Altimeter provided accurate altitude information. The RLV LEX demanded several state-of-the-art technologies including accurate Navigation hardware and software, Pseudolite system, Ka-band Radar Altimeter, NavIC receiver, indigenous Landing Gear, Aerofoil honey-comb fins and brake parachute system, the Indian space agency added. WATCH WION LIVE HERE You can now write for wionews.com and be a part of the community. Share your stories and opinions with us here.

EXCLUSIVE: India lands unmanned spaceplane with pin-point accuracy; next destination is space

<p>The Indian space agency handed over the Flight Termination System (FTS) used in its own rockets, to Indian start-up Agnikul Cosmos. The Chennai-based launch vehicle company is in the process of building their own rocket 'Agnibaan'. The Flight Termination System (FTS), colloquially known as "kill-switch" is a crucial piece of technology that can be used to remotely self-destruct the rocket when it faces a serious anomaly or it deviates from the planned flight path, thus endangering life and property.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to ISRO, the&nbsp;handing-over event marked the culmination of multiple rounds of interactions about interfacing, handling and using these systems on Agnikul's launch vehicle 'Agnibaan', in the presence of Director, VSSC and IN-SPACe teams.</p>

<p>Srinath Ravichandran, CEO and Co-Founder of Agnikul Cosmos told WION that the 'Agnibaan' vehicle is meant to be launched from ISRO's spaceport in Sriharikota and that the FTS is necessary to ensure a safe and controlled flight. He added that their rocket FTS had to be interfaced with ISRO's safety system. Queried about their company's maiden launch, he said that they were targeting it by 2022-end.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Also read |&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/ukrainian-forces-enter-kherson-city-following-complete-russian-military-evacuation-533385" hreflang="en">Ukrainian forces enter Kherson city following Russian military evacuation</a></p>

<p>ISRO handing over this FTS to Agnikul Cosmos marks the first time that a system being used in ISRO's rockets, is being supplied to support a private firm that is building rockets in India. The FTS package is meant to be used for Agnikul's&nbsp;fully controlled sub-orbital launcher, that is expected to launch from India's spaceport SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota.</p>

<p>Generally, anything lofted above the 'Karman Line' (100kms above sea level) is considered a foray into space and those placed below the Karman Line are known as sub-orbital flights for upper-atmospheric experiments. Before making an orbital-class rocket, it is common for start-ups to build smaller rockets and fly them to the upper atmosphere and validate the launch vehicle technologies, flight hardware and sub-systems.&nbsp;</p>

<p>Recently, Agnikul's&nbsp;3-D printed rocket engine was test fired successfully at a facility of Indian Space Research Organization. The Engine 'Agnilet' was test fired at the Vertical Test Facility at ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). This successful test marked a milestone in the private launch vehicle company's journey to building their spacefaring rocket 'Agnibaan'.&nbsp;</p>

<p>According to the company, this test was conducted with the support of IN-SPACe and ISRO and was meant to validate the technological possibility that rocket engines can be made as a single piece of hardware. Agnikul&nbsp;had recently announced that&nbsp;the Government Of India has awarded them the patent for the design and manufacturing of their single-piece rocket engines. 'Agnilet', one such single-piece engine, is the world's first single-piece 3D printed rocket engine&nbsp;fully designed and manufactured in India, it was successfully test-fired at IIT Madras in 2021.&nbsp;</p>

<p><iframe allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="350" loading="”lazy”" src="https://www.wionews.com/live-tv/embed?autoplay=1&amp;mute=1" width="100%"></iframe></p>


The Indian space agency handed over the Flight Termination System (FTS) used in its own rockets, to Indian start-up Agnikul Cosmos. The Chennai-based launch vehicle company is in the process of building their own rocket 'Agnibaan'.

The Indian space agency handed over the Flight Termination System (FTS) used in its own rockets, to Indian start-up Agnikul Cosmos. The Chennai-based launch vehicle company is in the process of building their own rocket 'Agnibaan'. The Flight Termination System (FTS), colloquially known as "kill-switch" is a crucial piece of technology that can be used to remotely self-destruct the rocket when it faces a serious anomaly or it deviates from the planned flight path, thus endangering life and property. According to ISRO, the handing-over event marked the culmination of multiple rounds of interactions about interfacing, handling and using these systems on Agnikul's launch vehicle 'Agnibaan', in the presence of Director, VSSC and IN-SPACe teams. Srinath Ravichandran, CEO and Co-Founder of Agnikul Cosmos told WION that the 'Agnibaan' vehicle is meant to be launched from ISRO's spaceport in Sriharikota and that the FTS is necessary to ensure a safe and controlled flight. He added that their rocket FTS had to be interfaced with ISRO's safety system. Queried about their company's maiden launch, he said that they were targeting it by 2022-end. Also read | Ukrainian forces enter Kherson city following Russian military evacuation ISRO handing over this FTS to Agnikul Cosmos marks the first time that a system being used in ISRO's rockets, is being supplied to support a private firm that is building rockets in India. The FTS package is meant to be used for Agnikul's fully controlled sub-orbital launcher, that is expected to launch from India's spaceport SDSC SHAR, Sriharikota. Generally, anything lofted above the 'Karman Line' (100kms above sea level) is considered a foray into space and those placed below the Karman Line are known as sub-orbital flights for upper-atmospheric experiments. Before making an orbital-class rocket, it is common for start-ups to build smaller rockets and fly them to the upper atmosphere and validate the launch vehicle technologies, flight hardware and sub-systems. Recently, Agnikul's 3-D printed rocket engine was test fired successfully at a facility of Indian Space Research Organization. The Engine 'Agnilet' was test fired at the Vertical Test Facility at ISRO's Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC). This successful test marked a milestone in the private launch vehicle company's journey to building their spacefaring rocket 'Agnibaan'. According to the company, this test was conducted with the support of IN-SPACe and ISRO and was meant to validate the technological possibility that rocket engines can be made as a single piece of hardware. Agnikul had recently announced that the Government Of India has awarded them the patent for the design and manufacturing of their single-piece rocket engines. 'Agnilet', one such single-piece engine, is the world's first single-piece 3D printed rocket engine fully designed and manufactured in India, it was successfully test-fired at IIT Madras in 2021.

ISRO delivers rocket self-destruct mechanism for launch vehicle built by Indian start-up

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