India successfully launched an unmanned miniature reusable space shuttle Monday, a big step for India in what some have called a new space race.
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The 7 meter prototype, named the Reusable Launch Vehicle, was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota near Chennai in eastern India. The shuttle reached an altitude of 43 miles before landing on its target spot 280 miles away in the Bay of Bengal.
The test flight lasted for about 10 minutes, with scientists hoping to reuse the shuttle soon for another flight.
Devi Prasad Karnik, from the Indian Space Research Organisation told The Hindu, “Everything went according to the predictions.” The ISRO said that the successful launch is important in the future development of cheap, reliable and reusable space crafts.
India is aiming to make space exploration cheaper than ever before. The shuttle cost India around $US14 million, significantly cheaper than other spacecraft. A reusable rocket launched by SpaceX, a company founded by entrepreneur Elon Musk, cost more than $US60 million. In 2013 India launched a rocket to Mars costing $US73 million.
Shuttles can reduce the cost of putting satellites and astronauts into space because they can be used again and again, instead of building a new spacecraft for every launch.
Competition for more affordable space travel through reusable crafts has been growing since 2011, when NASA ended its expensive space shuttle program. India hopes to launch a full-size reusable shuttle in the next decade.
Officials in India have been reluctant to call their program part of a wider “Asian space race”. Japan, Europe and Russia have also been testing similar technology.
China has formed its own regional space agency which includes Bangladesh, Thailand and Mongolia. There are also a number of private companies that are developing similar reusable technology.