The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : First flight of HTDV by end of next year

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Friday, Jun 29, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

First flight of HTDV by end of next year

Ground test for scramjet propulsion system conducted

Photo: Mohd. Yusouf

A leap forward: V.K. Saraswat, Chief Controller, DRDO, making a presentation on the eve of an international conference on ‘High-speed trans-atmospheric air and space transportation’ to be inaugurated in Hyderabad by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Friday.

HYDERABAD: The first flight of the ambitious Hypersonic Technology Demonstrator Vehicle (HTDV), which will ultimately pave the way for launching a re-usable space capsule, will be held by the end of next year.

The ground test for HTDV scramjet propulsion system using kerosene as fuel has been conducted by DRDO scientists at a high speed material testing laboratory abroad and the results have been encouraging, according to V. K. Saraswat, Chief Controller (DRDO) and P. Venugopalan, director DRDL.

They were speaking to reporters here on Thursday on the eve of a two-day international conference on ‘High-speed trans-atmospheric air and space transportation to be inaugurated by President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam on Friday.

The development of hypersonic technologies and vehicles have been engaging the aerospace community the world over for applications in the areas of space sector for placing payload in near earth orbit at low cost, civil sector for reaching far off destinations in a short time and military sector for development of long range hypersonic cruise missile to effectively engage time-critical targets.

The USA, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Australia and China are involved in the development of hypersonic technologies.

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