Space — Aerospace Vehicles
AVATAR
India's winged reusable launch vehicle — reducing space access cost by 80%.
Space — Aerospace Vehicles
India's winged reusable launch vehicle — reducing space access cost by 80%.
The AVATAR (Aerobic Vehicle for Advanced Trans-Atmospheric Research) is India's reusable launch vehicle concept, developed by IndoFighter in partnership with ISRO and DRDO. AVATAR uses air-breathing propulsion during the atmospheric phase and rocket propulsion for orbital insertion, targeting a 10× reduction in per-kilogram launch cost.
IndoFighter's role in the AVATAR programme is the design and fabrication of the airframe, thermal protection system, and cryogenic fuel tanks. The first AVATAR sub-scale demonstrator flew in 2023, achieving Mach 5.4 during the hypersonic glide phase before controlled water landing in the Bay of Bengal.