ISRO to challenge SpaceX with its reusable spacecrafts

The Indian space agency Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) now is being known popularly for developing “Indian space technologies” in the country itself in a much more cost-effective manner. In his latest speech, the chairman of ISRO, K Sivan said revealing the matter that the ISRO has plans to build superior quality propulsion technology in order to meet the needs of a cost-effective recoverable, re-startable, reliable, and reusable spacecraft launches.

Previously in the month of February, the ISRO chairman had given indications that ISRO, as likely as that of the SpaceX has been performing research on the reusable technologies for few years in order to cut the costs of missions. Sivan said told that when completely designed, the “reusable propulsion technology” of the Indian Space Research Organization would be set to challenge the reusable Falcon 9 spaceship of the SpaceX.

Through a video message designed for the Annual National Conference on Emerging Trends in Aerospace Technologies (ASET-2018) on the future of “the propulsion” at the Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre (LPSC) Valiyamala in Thiruvananthapuram District of Kerala, the ISRO chairman stated that the most recent systems in propulsion involving hybrid, electric, nuclear power, and cryogenic is at the developing stages at the LPSC. Sivan added that the development is targeted at controlling the thrust of the engine in order to analyze all the modes of landing encompassing soft and vertical landing of the launch rockets with the idea that it could be reused.

The Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre is basically a center for study and development that formulates under the Indian Space Research Organization. The LPSC center develops cryogenic and liquid “propulsion stages” for the launch vehicles. It also designs “auxiliary propulsion systems” both for the satellites and launch vehicles.

The two days conference was organized by the Aeronautical Society of India (AeSI). Dr. AE Muthunayagam, the renowned propulsion expert and the founder and director of LPSC, inaugurated the conference and said that the space programme of India has come up successfully with many “world class capabilities.” He further added that since its beginning the LPSC has overcome many hurdles to successfully design cryogenic, electric, and liquid propellants.

The SpaceX of Elon Musk, at the present, is leading the crowd in the field of “Heavy launches and lifting.” The Falcon 9’s payload size is beyond the present capabilities of the Indian Space Research Organization. SpaceX is raising huge amounts through its “commercial launches.” The company has just launched Bangabandhu-1, the first-ever satellite of Bangladesh.