CHENNAI: Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos on Thursday successfully carried out a sub-orbital test-flight of its home-built, 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket - Agnibaan - from its own launch pad at Sriharikota, called Dhanush, making it India's second private entity to do so.
After four unsuccessful attempts since March 22, the test flight of Agnibaan Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) took place at 7.15 am.
"Humbled to announce the successful completion of our first flight - Mission 01 of Agnibaan SOrTeD - from our own and India’s first and only private Launchpad within SDSC-SHAR at Sriharikota," Agnikul Cosmos said on X.
It said all the mission objectives of this controlled vertical ascent flight were met and performance was nominal.
The vehicle was completely designed in-house and powered by the world’s first, single piece 3D printed engine, which also happens to be India’s first flight with a semi-cryo engine, the start-up said.
Agnibaan is a customisable, two-stage launch vehicle that can carry a payload of up to 300 kg into orbit of about 700 km, according to the company.
The mission would last just over two minutes from launch to splashdown. At 1 minute 29 seconds, the launch vehicle was expected to reach apogee, the point it will be farthest from the launch site, before it splashed down at just over two minutes into the flight, marking the mission’s completion.
The Agnikul team consists of over 200 engineers and is associated with head of the National Centre for Combustion Research and Development at IIT Madras, and is also guided by 45 former scientists from ISRO.
The launch was witnessed by Dr. S. Somanath, chairman, ISRO, Dr. Pawan Goenka, chairman of space regulator Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), Rajeev Jyoti, director (Technical), IN-SPACe, and A Raj Rajan, director, SHAR.
Agnikul’s core team, including Prof. Satyanarayanan R. Chakravarthy, founding advisor, Agnikul Cosmos, and faculty, Department of Aerospace Engineering, IIT-M, M. Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO, Agnikul Cosmos, Moin S.P.M., co-founder and COO, Agnikul Cosmos, Saraniya Periaswamy, vehicle director, Agnibaan SOrTeD, and Umamaheswari K, project director, Mission-01, and Agnibaan SOrTeD, were present on the occasion.
