# Pushpak

> Indian reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator

**Wikidata**: [Q24228923](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q24228923)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RLV-TD)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/pushpak

## Summary
Pushpak is an Indian reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator, also known as RLV-TD, developed by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). It successfully completed its first flight on May 23, 2016, as part of the RLV-Technology Demonstration Programme.

## Key Facts
- First flown on May 23, 2016.
- Operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- Manufactured by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- Also known by the alias RLV-TD.
- Classified as a scale model of a reusable launch vehicle and a technology demonstration.
- Part of the RLV-Technology Demonstration Programme.
- Country of origin is India.
- Has 9 Wikipedia sitelinks across multiple languages (bn, commons, de, en, ja, ko, lv, ml, ru).
- Associated Commons category: Pushpak (rocket).

## FAQs
### Q: What is Pushpak?
A: Pushpak is the name given to India's first reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator, also known as RLV-TD. It was developed by ISRO to test and validate critical technologies for reusing space launch vehicles.

### Q: When did Pushpak make its first flight?
A: Pushpak (RLV-TD) conducted its first and only publicized test flight on May 23, 2016, from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre.

### Q: What was the purpose of the Pushpak project?
A: The primary purpose of Pushpak (RLV-TD) was to act as a technology demonstrator for developing India's own reusable launch vehicle capabilities, specifically focusing on hypersonic flight, autonomous landing, and thermal protection systems.

## Why It Matters
Pushpak represents a crucial step in India's quest for cost-effective access to space. By demonstrating the feasibility of reusing launch vehicle technologies, it aims to significantly reduce the cost of launching satellites and scientific payloads, placing India among nations advancing reusable spaceflight. Successful validation of technologies like hypersonic flight and autonomous landing through missions like Pushpak is essential for the development of fully operational, reusable Indian launch vehicles in the future, enhancing national space capabilities and potentially influencing global space launch economics.

## Notable For
- Being India's first technology demonstrator specifically focused on reusable launch vehicle (RLV) concepts.
- Conducting the first-ever test flight of a winged body reusable launch vehicle concept in India on May 23, 2016.
- Demonstrating hypersonic flight and autonomous landing capabilities critical for RLVs.
- Being classified explicitly as a "scale model" of a reusable launch vehicle in its development stage.
- Part of the foundational RLV-Technology Demonstration Programme under ISRO.

## Body
### Overview
Pushpak, formally designated as RLV-TD (Reusable Launch Vehicle - Technology Demonstrator), is a technology demonstrator project initiated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). Its primary objective is to test and validate technologies essential for developing operational reusable launch vehicles in India.

### Development and Status
- Developed and manufactured by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- Part of the larger RLV-Technology Demonstration Programme.
- Classified within Wikidata as both a "reusable launch vehicle" (subclass) and specifically a "scale model" thereof, along with being a "technology demonstration".
- First and most notable flight occurred on May 23, 2016.

### Operational Details
- Operator: Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).
- Country of Origin: India.
- Aliases: RLV-TD.
- Associated Wikimedia Commons Category: Pushpak (rocket).
- Projected to lead towards future operational RLVs capable of reusability.

### Information Presence
- Title on English Wikipedia: "RLV-TD".
- Has 9 Wikipedia sitelinks, covering languages including Bengali (bn), German (de), English (en), Japanese (ja), Korean (ko), Latvian (lv), Malayalam (ml), and Russian (ru), as well as the Commons category.
- Wikidata description: "Indian reusable launch vehicle technology demonstrator".
- Google Knowledge Graph ID: /g/11byxf5b0f.