Avatar (spacecraft)

{{short description|Concept for a crewed single-stage reusable spaceplane}}

{{Infobox rocket

|name = AVATAR

|image =

|imsize =

|caption =

|function = Robotic reusable spaceplane

|manufacturer =

|country-origin = India

|height =

|alt-height =

|diameter =

|mass = {{cvt|25|t|lb}}

|alt-mass =

|stages = 1

|capacities =

{{Infobox rocket/payload

|location = low Earth orbit

|kilos = {{convert|1000|kg|abbr=on}}

}}

|status = Concept study

|first =

|sites =

|launches =

|stagedata =

{{Infobox rocket/stage

|type = stage

|stageno = First

|engines = turbo-ramjet, scramjet and cryogenic

|fuel = LOX/LH2

}}}}

Avatar (Sanskrit: {{lang|sa|अवतार|}}, ISO: {{transliteration|sa|Avatāra}}; from "Aerobic Vehicle for Transatmospheric Hypersonic Aerospace TrAnspoRtation") is a concept study for a robotic single-stage reusable spaceplane capable of horizontal takeoff and landing, by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation. The mission concept is for low cost military and commercial satellite space launches.{{cite news |url=http://www.scity.gujarat.gov.in/plane-avatar.htm |title=Indian Scientists unveils space plane Avatar in US |work=Gujarat Science City |date=10 July 2001 |access-date=2014-10-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222125628/http://www.scity.gujarat.gov.in/plane-avatar.htm |archive-date=22 December 2015 }}{{cite news |url=http://www.spacedaily.com/news/india-01i.html |title=India Eyes New Spaceplane Concept |work=Space Daily |location=New Delhi |date=August 8, 2001 |access-date=2014-10-22 |archive-date=2016-03-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303181048/http://www.spacedaily.com/news/india-01i.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |title=AVATAR- Hyper Plane to be built by INDIA |work=India's Military and Civilian Technological Advancements |date=December 19, 2011 }}

This spaceplane concept is unrelated to the Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) RLV Technology Demonstration Programme (RLV-TD).{{cite web |url=http://dos.gov.in/sites/default/files/USQ251.pdf |title=Government of India Department of Space |date=March 14, 2012 |access-date=2016-04-27 |quote=Feasibility study of project "AVATAR)" has been done by a group of scientists in DRDO. ISRO has no connection with the project. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805065726/http://dos.gov.in/sites/default/files/USQ251.pdf |archive-date=August 5, 2016 }}

Concept

The idea is to develop a spaceplane vehicle that can take off 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, was first announced in May 1998 at the Aero India 98 exhibition held at Bangalore.

Avatar is projected to weigh 25 tons, of which 60% of that mass would be liquid hydrogen fuel. 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. The notional specification is for a payload weighing up to {{convert|1000|kg|abbr=on}} to low Earth orbit and to withstand up to 100 launches and reentries.

If built, Avatar would take off horizontally like a conventional airplane from a conventional airstrip using turbo-ramjet engines that burn hydrogen and atmospheric oxygen. During this cruising phase, an on-board system would collect air from the atmosphere, from which liquid oxygen would be separated and stored and 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.

Feasibility study

The Avatar concept study was commissioned by India's Defence Research and Development Organisation in 2001. India's space agency, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), has no connection with the project.{{Cite web|url=http://www.isro.gov.in/sites/default/files/usq251.pdf |title=AVATAR Project |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170408110239/http://www.isro.gov.in/sites/default/files/usq251.pdf |archive-date=8 April 2017 |url-status=dead }}{{Cite web|url=http://164.100.47.194/Loksabha/Questions/QResult15.aspx?qref=116544&lsno=15|title=AVATAR Project|access-date=2017-04-08|archive-date=2017-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170409021631/http://164.100.47.194/Loksabha/Questions/QResult15.aspx?qref=116544&lsno=15|url-status=live}} Air Commodore Raghavan Gopalaswami, who headed the study, made a presentation on the spaceplane at the global conference on propulsion at Salt Lake City, United States on July 10, 2001.{{cite web|url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20110015353.pdf|title=Report of the Horizontal Launch Study|date=June 2011|publisher=NASA|quote=Last year of effort: 2001|work=DARPA|access-date=2016-04-27|archive-date=2016-03-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160315124552/http://ntrs.nasa.gov/archive/nasa/casi.ntrs.nasa.gov/20110015353.pdf|url-status=live}}