India's first-ever indigenous space shuttle RLV-TD successfully tested from Sriharikota

The first technology demonstrator of indigenously made Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV), that can launch satellites into orbit around earth and then re-enter the atmosphere, was flight tested on Monday morning.

The technology demonstration was successfully tested from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

The vehicle will be taken to a height of over 70 km and released for its re-entry into the atmosphere. After launch it will be glided back onto a virtual runway in the Bay of Bengal, some 500 km from the coast.

WATCH: India launches its first indigenous space shuttle, the RLV-TD from Sriharikota(Andhra Pradesh)https://t.co/G0SxiQbJgw

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The mission, known as the hypersonic flight experiment, is expected to last about 10 minutes from liftoff to splashdown.

The RLV-TD which is the scaled-down model of the reusable launch vehicle is unlikely to be recovered from sea during this experiment as it is expected that the vehicle will disintegrate on impact with water since it is not designed to float.

Reusable launch vehicle is the unanimous solution to achieve low cost, reliable and on-demand space access, according to ISRO scientists.

ISRO  Scientists​

RLT-TD has been configured to act as a flying testbed to evaluate various technologies, including hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, powered cruise flight and hypersonic flight using air-breathing propulsion

# The 6.5 m long 'aeroplane'-like structure weigh 1.75 tons and will be hoisted into the atmosphere on a special rocket booster.

# The RLV-TD is described as "a very preliminary step" in the development of a reusable rocket, whose final version is expected to take 10-15 years. 

# The government has invested Rs 95 crore into the RLV-TD project.

These are the very first pictures of India's maiden moon craft as it stands fully assembled at the satellite center in Bangalore.

(With PTI Inputs)