Science

India just launched a mini space shuttle on top of a rocket and the photos are amazing

Rebecca Harrington

2016-05-24T13:23:00Z

India joined the US and Russia May 23 as one of the only nations to launch a space shuttle.

The RLV-TD, short for India’s Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator, blasted off at 7 a.m. local time on Sriharikota island, and landed about 13 minutes later.

Although it didn't carry a crew (and never will), it was a crucial test for India's first reusable rocket that can deploy payloads.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the team on Twitter:

—Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 23, 2016

See the incredible photos India's Space Research Organization provided of the event:

The RLV-TD is relatively tiny. Its 21-foot length makes it much, much smaller than NASA's retired fleet of 122-foot-long, 100-ton space shuttles.

Source: NASASpaceflight.com

Shuttles can significantly reduce the cost of getting satellites and astronauts to space since they can be reused over and over again instead of building a whole new spacecraft every time.

Indian Space Research Organization scientists think the shuttle could cut costs by as much as 10 times — bringing the total down to $2,000 per kilogram.

Source: The Hindu

The RLV-TD was loaded into the launch pad without any crew.

You can see the shuttle here perched on top of the HS9 solid rocket booster.

It lifted off and cruised to 35 miles above the Earth, then detached from the rocket and reached its highest altitude of about 40 miles.

Source: ISRO

The shuttle then reentered Earth's atmosphere at Mach 5, or roughly five times the speed of sound.

The RLV-TD successfully reached its target landing spot in the Bay of Bengal, 280 miles from where it launched. There, it glided to safety and landed, so the shuttle will hopefully be ready for another test flight soon.

India