India's 21st Century Pushpak 'Viman' Set For Launch, D-Day Tomorrow, 7 AM

"The Pushpak launch vehicle is India's bold attempt to make access to space most affordable," said S Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

A sleek, SUV-sized winged rocket is ready for its experimental flight at a defence airfield in Karnataka. The rocket will be launched at 7 am tomorrow from the Chalakere Runway. Named "Pushpak", the Re-usable Launch Vehicle (RLV) sometimes dubbed the "swadeshi space shuttle" is India's bold attempt to enter the reusable rocket segment. The current experiment is the third flight of Pushpak -- all part of a test of its robotic landing ability in more complicated circumstances.

"The Pushpak launch vehicle is India's bold attempt to make access to space most affordable," asserted S Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). "It is India's futuristic Reusable Launch Vehicle, where the most expensive part, the upper stage, which houses all the expensive electronics, is made reusable by bringing it back safely back to Earth. Later, it could even do refuelling of in-orbit satellites or retrieving satellites from orbit for refurbishment. India seeks to minimise space debris and Pushpak is one step towards that as well," he said.

In making for a decade, the RLV flew from Sriharikota first in 2016 and successfully landed on a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal. The RLV was never recovered. As planned, it sank into the sea.