M4L12: AVATAR Reusable Launch Vehicle (India’ RLV)

The efficiency of the launch vehicle depends on how much weight it can carry for with a particular amount of fuel. Currently, Indian rockets carry a huge quantity of oxygen (approx.200 tons) that is nearly 85% of the rocket mass and it gets burnt during the atmospheric flight phase of the rocket.

Sectors like agriculture, disaster management, weather forecasting, biodiversity conservation, defense, tele-communication, navigation, ocean and mineral exploration have assumed salience for the nation’s growth & can be facilitated using space technology. In future, with increase in globalization and economic development in countries mentioned located in Africa, Asia and Latin America, the demand & launch of such kind satellites to be put in space is bound to increase.

However, in recent times, it has been witnessed that few American firms have come up with their own version of Reusable Launch Vehicle that can deliver the satellite into its orbit & return to Earth (SpaceX & Blue origin). With the development of the reusable launch technology by the American companies, India will have to come up with its own brand of cost-effective solutions to stay buoyant in the market, since 85% of the costs related to satellite launch are actually that of hardware used in launch vehicle, which if replenished & reused, can bring down the cost per launch to less than 10% of current costs. A reusable launch vehicle powered by Scram Jet and air breathing propulsion, will therefore put India one among the only a handful of nations who possess the capability of developing its own space shuttle. It will thus make India, more attractive player in the international space commerce market.

The use of Scramjet technology would help to reduce the overall weight of launch vehicle, thereby allowing extra space to accommodate a greater number of transponders and remote sensing and imaging instruments on the satellite. Scramjet technology uses air breathing propulsion that will also help to increase the speed of the rocket. It would help India to do more with a limited space budget.

Since India’ RLV technology uses hypersonic rocket for launch, this technology will also benefit our defense program to build an indigenous Anti-Satellite weapon & the hypersonic version (2.0) of Brahmos.

Since hypersonic missiles are hard to counter through Ballistic missile defenses, India should work aggressively develop these capabilities as soon as possible in light of challenges faced at the North East frontiers from China. (If India develops its own aerospace industry, Indigo and Spicejet flights will be able to transport passengers from India to USA in less than 2 hours or India to Dubai in less than half hour. Lolz 😊 Bombardier is already working on it)