How ISRO's RLV Signals Potential Competition for SpaceX

SpaceX has risen to prominence as a leading force in the field of space exploration. The company's groundbreaking innovations, including reusable rockets, affordable launches, and commercial missions, have catapulted the company to a global stage. SpaceX mission and achievement are laudable, but it’s not the only space research organisation that has made a difference in space exploration. 

The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO)’s latest update might pose a serious challenge to SpaceX. 

In July 2022, we published an article urging SpaceX to consider entering the Indian space market. Our argument was based on the significant cost difference between SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket, which charged approximately $5000 per kg of payload, and ISRO's PSLV rocket, which charged about $25,000 per kg of payload. 

With the rupee hitting an all-time low against the US dollar and India opening up its space industry to private players, we saw it as a perfect opportunity for SpaceX to venture into the Indian market and emulate ISRO's success.

However, the situation was expected to change with India's development of a low-cost, 500 kg payload class small satellite launch vehicle (SSLV). This development meant that ISRO could pose a serious challenge to SpaceX in terms of cost competitiveness. 

Furthermore, while SpaceX offers a low cost per kg of payload, they do not often have rideshare missions that can accommodate smaller satellites, even on a commercial basis. In contrast, ISRO has a proven track record of accommodating co-passenger satellites in almost all of its PSLV launches.

The game has changed following ISRO's successful execution of the Reusable Launch Vehicle Autonomous Landing Mission (RLV LEX), and the organisation may emerge as a formidable competitor to SpaceX in the coming years.

In a historic feat, on April 2, 2023, ISRO's RLV made its maiden autonomous landing. Transported by a Chinook Helicopter, the RLV was released mid-air and successfully navigated its way down to the ATR airstrip using an Integrated Navigation, Guidance & Control system. ISRO claims that the RLV landed under conditions akin to a space re-entry vehicle's landing, including high speed, unmanned, and precise landing from the same return path. 

Also Read: ISRO’s Upcoming Space Missions 2023

Impressively, the RLV met all landing parameters, such as Ground relative velocity, Landing Gear's sink rate, and precise body rates, with remarkable accuracy. To execute this mission, ISRO employed an array of cutting-edge technologies, including Navigation hardware and software, a Pseudolite system, a Ka-band Radar Altimeter, a NavIC receiver, indigenous Landing Gear, Aerofoil honey-comb fins, and brake parachute systems. 

Way ahead for space tourism?

The RLV's success is a significant milestone for ISRO, and it shows that the agency has the technology and expertise to develop reusable rockets that can compete with SpaceX. In an interview, ISRO chairman Sivan stated that ISRO's next rocket, after GSLV Mk III, will be a reusable rocket. The goal is to bring the cost down to USD 5,000 or even USD 1,000 per kg, and the only way to achieve that is through reusable technology in launch vehicles.

ISRO has been working on various technologies, including the Inflatable Aerodynamic Decelerator (IAD) demonstrated in this mission, to make this happen. Sivan said that they will have to have a retro-propulsion to land the rocket back on Earth.

Another area where ISRO could potentially compete with SpaceX is space tourism. In the near future, India will join the race for space tourism, with several leading US space companies entering the market.

In an interview with The Times of India, the ISRO chairman stated that the agency has developed a space tourist vehicle for private industries to utilise. He also said that currently, a ticket in Blue Origin or Virgin Galactic costs around 6 crore rupees per tourist. If ISRO's vehicle is converted for tourists, it may cost the same, considering the reusability of the vehicle.

Gaganyaan Mission

Not just it, India's Gaganyaan mission can be a potential competitor of SpaceX in its business of transporting astronauts to the space station. The mission is a bold and ambitious endeavour aimed at demonstrating the country's human spaceflight capability. 

The mission involves launching a crew of three members to an orbit of 400 km for a three-day mission, then safely bringing them back to Earth.

To achieve this, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has leveraged its in-house expertise and partnered with industry and academia to develop critical technologies such as a human-rated launch vehicle, life support system, crew management aspects, and emergency escape provisions. 

Precursor missions, including Integrated AirDrop Test, Pad Abort Test, and Test Vehicle flights, will be carried out to demonstrate technology readiness levels before the manned mission. With HLVM3, a reconfigured version of the reliable LVM3 rocket, at its disposal, ISRO again poses a challenge to SpaceX.