Agnikul Cosmos charted space history on Thursday by launching its ‘Agnibaan’ rocket with several firsts to its credit from the Sriharikota spaceport.
Agnibaan is India’s first semi-cryogenic engine-powered launch vehicle. It is the first 3D-printed rocket. It has been launched from the country’s first private launch pad called ‘Dhanush’ and is the second private rocket, after ‘Vikram’ of the Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace (November 2022) to be successfully flown.
The success for the IIT Madras incubated startup, Agnikul Cosmos (whose name is derived from Sanskrit Agni for fire) comes after nerve-racking suspense and calling off the first flight four times in the last two months due to technical issues. The latest being on Tuesday.
On Thursday morning 0715 hrs, the 2-stage, launch vehicle, which uses both gas and liquid fuel, designed to carry a payload of 300 kg into the Low Earth Orbit (LEO) up to 700 km altitude flew for two minutes to a height of 8000 metres before splashing into the Bay of Bengal. All the mission objectives were met, the company said.
The key purpose of the mission, Agnikul’s first flight of Agnibaan-SOrTeD (Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator) is to serve as a test flight, to demonstrate the in-house and home grown technologies, gather crucial flight data and ensure optimal functioning of critical systems.
“The Vehicle was completely designed in-house, powered by the world’s first, single piece, 3D printed engine and critical parts. It is also India’s first flight with a semi-cryogenic engine,” Srinath Ravichandran, Co-founder and CEO of the company said in a press statement.
Incidentally, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), which provides a lot of support to the Startup right through, is yet to fly the semi-cryogenic engine. It is developing its own rocket.
The launch was witnessed by dignitaries including Dr. S. Somanath, Chairman, Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), Dr. Pawan Goenka, Chairman of IN-SPACe, Rajeev Jyoti, Director (Technical), IN-SPACe, and A Raj Rajan, Director SHAR.
Space startup story
Agnikul Cosmos is incubated by the IIT-Madras and is headquartered at Chennai. It has achieved a significant milestone by developing the world’s first and only single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine, for which it holds a patent.
Founded in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran (CEO) and S P M Moin (COO), the vision of Agnikul is to bring space within everyone’s reach, aiming to enable launches from Anywhere, Anytime, Affordably. It is committed to developing launch vehicles that are both affordable and customizable according to customer needs.
The vision of Agnikul is to bring space within everyone’s reach, aiming to enable launches from Anywhere, Anytime, Affordably. Agnikul is committed to developing launch vehicles that are both affordable and customizable according to customer needs.
The Agnikul team consists of over 200 engineers. Additionally, the team is guided by 45 former scientists from ISRO who bring invaluable expertise to the endeavour of democratising access to space.
It’s core team for the May 30 launch consisted of Prof. Satyanarayanan R Chakravarthy, Founding Advisor and Faculty, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT Madras, Ms Saraniya Periaswamy, Vehicle Director, Agnibaan SOrTeD, and Ms. Umamaheswari K, Project Director, Mission-01and Agnibaan SOrTeD.
Srinath Ravichandran said it marks the culmination of 1000s of hours of reviews and hard work by the team, support of ISRO and IN-SPACe to design and build original space worthy hardware in India.
Moin S P M, the COO and Co-founder, said, “The Agnibaan SOrTeD project owes its success to the unwavering support of our advisors, investors, vendors, customers and all well-wishers. It is only the beginning and we are hopeful of contributing to India’s Technological and Economic growth.”
The flagship launch vehicle, ‘Agnibaan’, is designed to be compatible with the mobile launchpad called ‘Dhanush,’ allowing for launch flexibility regardless of location. Agnibaan can be configured to accommodate payloads ranging from 30 kg to 300 kg, ensuring versatility across a wide range of mission requirements, says Umamaheshwari K, the Project Director.
Agnikul is looking at flying an Orbital mission towards the end of the financial year 2025. It is working with customers on flights starting regularly from the beginning of the next financial year, the company said.
Greetings pour in
Congratulating the Agnikul team, The ISRO Chairman, Dr Somnath said, “The Department of Space and ISRO congratulates Agnikul Cosmos on the successful launch of ‘Agnibaan — SOrTeD’. The success involving many firsts including 3D printed semi-cryogenic engines, flight control systems, etc. demonstrates the prowess of Indigenous design and innovation. It motivates ISRO to support the Space startups and Non-governmental entities for innovation and Atmanirbharata to create a vibrant space ecosystem in the country.”
The Chairman of IN-SPACe, Pawan Goenka said, “The successful launch of the Agnibaan SOrTeD is not just a milestone for Agnikul Cosmos but marks a significant moment for private players who are contributing to growing India’s space sector. Today it is the power of young innovators and entrepreneurs who are leading from the front, innovating with cutting-edge technology such as the world’s first 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine, that is driving the transformation of India’s space sector. At IN-SPACe, we are committed to supporting these young pioneers as they help to propel India to a leadership position in the global space arena.”
The IIT Madras Director, Dr V Kamakoti said, “Sky is no longer the limit for our startups. Very innovative, first time in the world, deep core technology demonstrated today by Agnikul – a great inspiration for all young students to boldly take the entrepreneurship route and become employers.”
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