The deployable landing gear system for ISRO’s winged body Reusable Launch Vehicle, Pushpak, is being tested and qualified at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Thiruvananthapuram, using a state-of-the-art Landing Gear Drop Test Facility.
In preparation for the RLV-Orbital Re-entry Experiment (RLV-OREX), in which the Pushpak spacecraft will be sent into orbit as an ascent vehicle, ISRO is constructing the Pushpak with a deployable landing gear. Pushpak will then use the deployable Landing Gear system to land on a runway after reentering the atmosphere after a few orbits.
In the presence of Dr. Unnikrishnan Nair, Director of Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), Rajarajan, Director of Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC-SHAR), and Padmakumar, Director of ISRO Inertial Systems Unit (IISU), Dr. V. Narayanan, Chairman, ISRO / Secretary, DOS, officially opened the Landing Gear Drop Test facility at Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre on April 4, 2025.
It has numerous important characteristics, including an adjustable drop mass up to 2000 kg to replicate different aircraft and airport heights and an adjustable drop height, and the ability to test several types of landing gears, including telescopic, articulated, and semi-articulated versions. With wheel spin rates that can be adjusted up to 5000 rpm, the test rig can simulate landing velocity of up to 360 km/h (100 m/s).
Additionally, different landing sink rates up to 4.8 m/s may be simulated using the test equipment. It is also possible to mimic various runway conditions, including concrete, asphalt, dry, wet, and ice runways.
Additionally, different landing sink rates up to 4.8 m/s may be simulated using the test equipment. It is also possible to mimic various runway conditions, including concrete, asphalt, dry, wet, and ice runways.
Additionally, this facility has a number of safety elements, including a self-locking drop release actuator and a platform impact protector, to guarantee the safety of both test products and people. The development and qualification of cutting-edge RLVs and aircraft technology in India might be accelerated by this facility.
