Reusable Rocket Technology Advance Technologies

When Elon Musk’s company SPACE-X, successfully landed its rocket Falcon 9 in Dec 2015, after its journey beyond earth’s atmosphere ,it heralded the era of RLV(Reusable launch Vehicle)technology . It allows a single rocket to carry multiple missions into outer space with minimal refitting and maintenance.  This path breaking technology ,just like the Jet Technology in sixties which transformed the air transport industry ,making it hugely cheaper and easily accessible, has the potential to similarly make space travel and exploration commercially viable and feasible.

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The key elements for the eventual success of this technology would be the development of

  • Highly efficient fuels and engines to maintain low propellant cost
  • Ultra Light and strong outer structure to keep rocket weight low and withstand corrosion from reuse.
  • Ultra strong and heat resistant outer thermal shield to withstand very high temperature during reentry into earth’s atmosphere and allow reusability with minimal refitting after each launch

Meanwhile India’s premier space company ISRO is set to demonstrate its own capability in this field by launching its first reusable space plane ‘Aviator’ in 2016.

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