India just launched a mini space shuttle on top of a rocket and the photos are amazing

India joined the US and Russia May 23 as one of the only nations to launch a space shuttle.

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.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi praised the team on Twitter:

Tweet Embed:
https://twitter.com/mims/statuses/734590308273541120
Launch of India's first indigenous space shuttle RLV-TD is the result of the industrious efforts of our scientists. Congrats to them.

See the incredible photos India's Space Research Organization provided of the event:

The RLV-TD is relatively tiny. Its 21-foot length makes it much, much smaller than NASA's retired fleet of 122-foot-long, 100-ton space shuttles.

Source: NASASpaceflight.com

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.

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.

Source: The Hindu