Researchers at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, have achieved a breakthrough in developing a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) with hybrid rocket thrusters.

In a sophisticated experiment that combined a real-time hybrid rocket thruster with a virtual simulation, the researchers achieved the necessary velocity for ''soft landing'', a crucial feature for all craft ranging from planetary landing of an unmanned or manned exploration module to terrestrial landing of a VTOL aircraft, they added.

Touchdown velocity is an important parameter to ensure safe vertical landings.

The findings of the research were published in a paper in the reputed peer-reviewed International Journal of Aeronautical and Space Sciences.

The researchers studied

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