India Plans to Use Reusable Rocket By 2010

Text of report by Indian news agency PTI

Bangalore, 13 August: India plans to launch a reusable rocket for the first time by 2010, says its space agency chief.

"Our target (for the first launch) is before 2010," Chairman of Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), G. Madhavan Nair, told PTI.

The space scientists have already designed a "demonstrator" to measure parameters of the vehicle and further work is in progress, Nair, also Secretary in the Department of Space and Chairman of Space Commission, said.

A facility to study aspects of aerodynamics and related matters pertaining to the reusable launch vehicle is coming up in Thiruvananthapuram [southern Indian city], he added.

"It (the launch vehicle) will use a rocket to boost it up to a Mach number of nearly five or so…then try to characterise the vehicle, and it will of course go into the sea after that."

ISRO is now planning experiments to see whether air breathing modules can be integrated into this reusable rocket.

"This will give inputs in taking up design of actual reusable launch vehicle," the ISRO chairman said.

ISRO, meanwhile, is also focusing its attention on the Mars mission, which could take place as early as 2012.

"We have thrown this idea (mission to the red planet) to the scientific community. They are coming out with some proposals and suggestions," Nair said.

Martian atmosphere is very interesting, he observed.

"And then about (Mars) terrain, some data is being collected by US rovers and things like that," Nair said.

He said that concrete proposals may take a year and added that they would have to decide on their course of action.

ISRO has also taken up the mission studies on its own.

"Using the GSLV (India’s own geo-synchronous launch vehicle), we can easily target a 500 kg satellite to be sent around Mars. It can have significant sensors on board which can study Martian atmosphere, its terrain and so on."

Nair added that if they receive concrete proposals, they could work on it and start a mission by 2012 or later than it.

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