ISRO Set To Enter Global Markets With Reusable Rockets Soon- Know More

Attending the seventh edition of the "Bengaluru Space Expo 2022", the chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), S.Somanath, said that the organisation has plans to design and develop a reusable launch vehicle for the global market. This design would significantly cut down the cost of launching satellites.

A reusable rocket is such that it has parts that can be recovered and reflown with payloads from the surface to outer space. This way, the organisation would not have to make parts for each launch and could just recover and rebuild at a lesser cost. There are few operational reusable rockets in the market launched and reused by countries such as the United States of America (USA) and New Zealand. The design developed by ISRO would mark the first-ever reusable launch vehicle from India that will enter the global market.

From USD 15,000 To USD 1,000

"All of us want launches to be much cheaper than what we do today," said Somanath while addressing the Space Expo held in Bangalore. Explaining the extent to which costs would be cut down, he said that presently it takes about $10,000-15,000 to put a kilogram payload into orbit, as quoted from an NDTV report. With the reusable tech that is being designed, the costs would exponentially be brought down to $5,000-1,000 per kilogram.

Currently, there is no reusable technology developed in India for launch vehicles (rockets). The initiation of such tech would bring about a groundbreaking change in the field of science and tech. Talking further about their plans to build the launch vehicle, Somanath said, "The idea is the next rocket that we are going to build after GSLV Mk III should be a reusable rocket".

He commented that they had envisioned the project in a manner which will be cost-conscious, production-friendly, made in India, and ultimately operated in the global space sector.

Big Shift From Existing Process

As per a report by The Hindu, the ISRO had successfully tested a few technologies, including the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD), that would facilitate to aerodynamically decelerating an object descending through the atmosphere. The IAD tech demonstrated stage recovery and planetary entry.

Further, they are in discussion about retro-propulsion features that would help to land it back on Earth. By combining these various technologies and partnering with prominent industries, startups and NewSpace India Limited (NSIL), the dream of designing the first-ever Indian reusable rocket is no farther away. A lot has been going behind the ideation about its design, engineering, manufacturing, launch, and operation, as it will all be taken ahead in a commercial manner.

Somanath said that the proposal should be taking shape in the coming few months, and with its launch, India would have a competitive rocket within global operations.

Also Read: ISRO To Launch 75 Satellites Made By Indian Academia To Commemorate India's 75 Years Of Independence