In a significant milestone for India’s private space industry, Chennai-based startup Agnikul Cosmos successfully launched its Agnibaan SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator (SOrTeD) rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Thursday.
The launch, which took place at 8:12 am, marks India’s first launch from a private launchpad and the world’s first single-piece 3D printed engine designed and built indigenously.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) congratulated Agnikul Cosmos on the successful launch, calling it “a major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realized through additive manufacturing”.
The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) also praised the achievement, highlighting the use of 3D manufacturing in the rocket’s construction.
Agnibaan SOrTeD, which stands 18 meters tall with a diameter of 1.3 meters and a lift-off mass of 14,000 kg, is powered by the innovative Agnilet engine – the world’s first single-unit 3D-printed engine that can be produced within three days.
The rocket executed a series of precise manoeuvres during its two-minute test flight, reaching an altitude of eight kilometres before splashing down in the Bay of Bengal, approximately 30 kilometres from the launch pad.
Initially scheduled for April 7, the launch had to be postponed just 129 seconds before lift-off due to technical glitches. However, the successful launch on May 30 underscores private companies’ growing capabilities and contributions to India’s burgeoning space sector.
Agnikul Cosmos, founded in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM, and Satya Chakravarthy, became the first company in India to sign an agreement with ISRO under the IN-SPACe initiative in December 2020. This partnership has allowed the startup access to ISRO’s expertise and facilities to develop the Agnibaan rocket.
The success of the Agnibaan SOrTeD launch is expected to bolster global confidence in India’s private space industry and its growing capabilities, particularly in light of the recently introduced guidelines for the implementation of the Indian Space Policy 2023 by IN-SPACe and new FDI regulations.
“What Agnikul has achieved today is nothing short of a historical milestone since India launched its maiden rocket in 1963 from Thumba launch station,” said Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt (Retd.), Director General, Indian Space Association (ISpA).
He added that “Agnibaan SOrTeD has made many firsts, including India’s first launch from a private launchpad, the first semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket launch, and the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed engine designed and built indigenously.”
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