Express News Service By

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is now aiming for an October-end launch for the Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), a scaled-down model of the proposed ‘space shuttle’.

Earlier, the space agency was planning to have the mission in July. K Sivan, director, Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), said the construction of the space plane portion of RLV-TD is in its final phase at VSSC, Thumba. “Tests are progressing. We are planning to have the launch in the second half of October,” the director said.

ISRO chairman A S Kiran Kumar, who is due for a visit to VSSC on Monday, will review the progress of work on this mission which is crucial for India’s future in the space race.

This mission will be the first of several tests conducted ahead of building India’s own space shuttle.

The scale model weighs 1.5 tonnes and will fly up to a height of 70 kilometres before dropping down to the Bay of Bengal. For the first RLV-TD experimental flight, the space plane part will be rigged atop a solid booster rocket.The ISRO chairman will also review the progress of work on the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle Mk-III (GSLV Mk-III) project.

ISRO is planning to have a full-scale launch of the hefty rocket, with an active cryogenic stage, in December 2016.

Satellites in Good Health: VSSC Director

All five British satellites that were put in orbit by the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle C-28 (PSLV c-28) on Friday night are in “good health,” VSSC director K Sivan, who arrived back in Thiruvananthapuram from the Sriharikota spaceport on Saturday morning, said. At one go, ISRO had placed in orbit three identical DMC3 earth observation satellites, the CBNT-1 earth observation micro satellite and a nanosatellite - De-OrbitSail. “The satellites were deployed as planned and are now being tracked by the customers,” Sivan said.