Avatar (spacecraft)

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AVATAR RLV
Function Unmanned reusable spaceplane
Manufacturer DRDO/ISRO
Country of origin India
Size
Mass 25 tons [1]
Stages 1
Capacity
Payload to
1,000 kg (2,200 lb)
Low Earth orbit
Launch history
Status Testing prototypes[2]
Launch sites Satish Dhawan Space Centre
Total launches 0
First flight 2025 (proposed) [3]
First stage
Engines Turbo-ramjet, scramjet and cryogenic
Thrust
Burn time
Fuel LOX/LH2

Avatar (Sanskrit: अवतार) (from "Aerobic Vehicle for Transatmospheric Hypersonic Aerospace
TrAnspoRtation") is a concept for a unmanned single-stage reusable spaceplane capable of
horizontal takeoff and landing, by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation
along with Indian Space Research Organisation and other research institutions. The mission
concept is for low cost military and commercial satellite space launches.[4][1][5]

In January 2012, it was announced that a scaled prototype, called 'Reusable Launch Vehicle-
Technology Demonstrator' (RLV-TD), was approved to be built and tested.[2] The vehicle is
undergoing flight integration at the VSSC before being moved to Bengaluru for acoustic testing
and later to Sriharikota for the launch expected to take place in April 2016. [6] The first orbital
flight is proposed for 2025.[3]

Contents
 1 Concept
 2 Development
o 2.1 Scaled-down tests
 3 Manned version
 4 See also
  5 References
 6 External links

Concept
In Sanskrit, an Avatar (अवतार avatāra) is a deliberate descent of a deity to Earth, or a descent of
the Supreme Being.

The idea is to develop a spaceplane vehicle that can takeoff from conventional airfields. Its liquid
air cycle engine would collect air in the atmosphere on the way up, liquefy it, separate oxygen
and store it on board for subsequent flight beyond the atmosphere. The Avatar, a reusable launch
vehicle (RLV) was first announced in May 1998 at the Aero India 98 exhibition held at
Bangalore.[7]

Avatar is projected to weigh 25 tons, of which 60% of that mass would be liquid hydrogen
fuel.[1] The oxygen required by the vehicle for combustion in outer space would be collected
from the atmosphere during takeoff, thus reducing the need to carry oxygen during launch. [1] The
notional specification is for a payload weighing up to 1,000 kg (2,200 lb) to low Earth orbit and
to withstand up to 100 launches and reentries.[4][1]

If built, Avatar would takeoff horizontally like a conventional airplane from a conventional
airstrip using turbo-ramjet engines that burn hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen.[1] Once at a
cruising altitude, the vehicle would use scramjet propulsion to accelerate from Mach 4 to Mach
8.[3] During this cruising phase, an on-board system would collect air from the atmosphere, from
which liquid oxygen would be separated and stored.[1] The liquid oxygen collected would then be
used to burn the stored hydrogen in the final flight phase to attain orbit. The vehicle would be
designed to permit at least one hundred launches and atmospheric reentries.[1]

Development
A model of the RLV-TD on the top of a launcher

Avatar is being developed by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation.[4] Air
Commodore Raghavan Gopalaswami, who is heading the project, made a presentation on the
spaceplane at the global conference on propulsion at Salt Lake City, USA on July 10, 2001.[4][1]
Gopalaswami said the idea for Avatar originated from the work published by the RAND
Corporation of the United States in 1987.[1]

In January 2012, ISRO announced that a scaled prototype, called Reusable Launch Vehicle-
Technology Demonstrator (RLV-TD), was approved to be built and tested.[2]

Scaled-down tests

Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle being developed by Defence Research and

Development Organisation to demonstrate scram-jet technology.

The aerodynamics characterization of the RLV-TD prototype was done by National Aerospace
Laboratories in India. The RLV-TD is in the last stages of construction.

By May 2015, engineers at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thumba Equatorial
Rocket Launching Station were installing thermal tiles on the outer surface of the 'RLV-TD', so
it can withstand the intense heat during atmospheric reentry.[2] This prototype weighs around 1.5
tonnes and would fly up to an altitude of 70 km.[2] ISRO has tentatively slated the prototype's test
flight from the first launchpad of Satish Dhawan Space Centre for February 2016. The RLV-TD
will be mounted on top of a two stage Rohini sounding rocket rocket and launched beyond the
atmosphere, after which the RLV-TD will separate and reenter the atmosphere while traveling
through the hypersonic regime.[8] The rocket is expendable while the RLV would glide back to
Earth and fall in Bay of Bengal as there are no airstrips that are 5 km long at desired location that
could be used to land such aircraft. ISRO has made detailed reports to construct an airstrip
greater than 4 km long in the Sriharikota island and it will be built in near future.[9]

In 2006 Indian Space Research Organisation in a series of ground tests demonstrated a stable
supersonic combustion for nearly 7 seconds with an inlet Mach number of 6. [10] A flight test of
scram-jet engine is planned in second demonstration flight(ATV-D02) of "Advanced
Technology Vehicle"[11] that has a diameter of 0.56 m and a length of ~10 m and take off mass of
~3 tonnes[12] in 2016.[13]

Manned version
There is a proposal to develop a larger advanced manned version of the spacecraft after the
successful deployment of the unmanned SSTO.[14]

See also
Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era

 Boeing X-37
 Buran (spacecraft)
 Dream Chaser
 Skylon
 Space Shuttle

References
1.

 "India Eyes New Spaceplane Concept". Space Daily (New Delhi). August 8, 2001. Retrieved
2014-10-22.
  "India’s Futuristic Unmanned Space Shuttle Getting Final Touches". EXPRESS NEWS
SERVICE (Indian Defence Research Wing). 20 May 2015. Retrieved 2015-05-20.
  "Wednesday, August 03, 2011India's Space Shuttle [Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV)]
program". AA Me, IN. 2011. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  "Indian Scientists unveils space plane Avatar in US". Gujarat Science City. 10 July 2001.
Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  "AVATAR- Hyper Plane to be built by INDIA". India's Military and Civilian Technological
Advancements. December 19, 2011.
  "ISRO's RLV-TD Project Likely to be Delayed". The New Indian Express. Retrieved 2015-
12-28.
  "AVATAR- Hyper Plane to be built by INDIA". Abin Puthiyath. Indian Defence Research.
Retrieved 19 December 2011.
  "Reusable Launch Vehicles". Brahmand.com. November 25, 2010. Retrieved 2014-10-22.
  "ISRO Gears up for 6 Major Missions This Year". Express News Service. 30 May 2015.
  "Welcome to VIKRAM SARABHAI SPACE CENTRE - ISRO_Supersonic Combustion Tech".
www.vssc.gov.in. Retrieved 2015-12-06.
  "Successful flight testing of advanced sounding rocket - ISRO". www.isro.gov.in. Retrieved
2015-12-06.
  ""Space Transportation Systems: What the future beholds" by Dr. B N Suresh". 2 November
2007.
  "ISRO set to test scramjet engine". The Hindu. 2015-11-28. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved
2015-12-06.

14.  Jan 6, 2015. "Another leap in space: India to test reusable vehicle in March". Arun
Ram. Times Of India. Retrieved Jan 6, 2015.

External links
 Concept of AVATAR

[show]

 v
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 e

Indian space programme

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 v
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Reusable launch systems

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Spaceplanes
Categories:

 Hydrogen-powered aircraft
 Hypersonic aircraft
 Space launch vehicles of India
 Space programme of India
  Ramjet-powered aircraft
 Proposed reusable space launch systems
 Spacecraft propulsion
 Spaceplanes
 Proposed aircraft of India
 V-tail aircraft
 Satish Dhawan Space Centre

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