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India joined the US and Russia May 23 as one of the onlynations to launch a space shuttle.
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The RLV-TD, short for India’s Reusable Launch Vehicle-Technology Demonstrator, blasted off at 7 a.m. local time on Sriharikota island, and landed about 13 minutes later.
Although it didn't carry a crew (and never will), it was a crucial test for India's first reusable rocket that can deploy payloads.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the team on Twitter:
Shuttles can significantly reduce the cost of getting satellites and astronauts to space since they can be reused over and over again instead of building a whole new spacecraft every time.
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Indian Space Research Organization scientists think the shuttle could cut costs by as much as 10 times — bringing the total down to $2,000 per kilogram.
The shuttle then reentered Earth's atmosphere at Mach 5, or roughly five times the speed of sound.
The RLV-TD successfully reached its target landing spot in the Bay of Bengal, 280 miles from where it launched. There, it glided to safety and landed, so the shuttle will hopefully be ready for another test flight soon.
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