India successfully tested its first reusable satellite launch vehicle RLV-TD in Sriharikota early Monday morning. The RLV Technology Demonstration (RLV-TD), that is ultimately aimed at putting satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter atmosphere, was carried up on a solid rocket motor.
Known as hypersonic flight experiment, it was about 10 minutes mission from liftoff to splashdown.
The successful launch is expected to cut cost of launching rockets for carrying satellites by 10 times as competition mounts in the burgeoning commercial space launch industry.