India launches reusable shuttle

The Verge reports that this week India's space agency has successfully launched a reusable mini shuttle model into space, marking an important development in its low-cost space program. An unmanned prototype of the Reusable Launch Vehicle (RLV-TD) launched Monday morning reaching an altitude of 43 miles before returning to Earth. The project has been in development for more than 10 years, on a reported budget of just $14 million. Compare that to the US space shuttle, which cost about $450 million per launch (NASA)

Creating a reusable low cost space shuttle is a huge step in any space progam. India is competing with space agencies in Europe, Japan, and Russia as well as private companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin.