Agnikul Cosmos aims to launch Agnibaan rocket before 2022
- ByStartupStory | September 26, 2022
According to a senior official, private rocket manufacturer Agnikul Cosmos is working hard to conduct its maiden test launch by the end of 2022.
“We intend to test-launch our Agnibaan rocket before the year 2022 is out. The rocket will be launched from a portable launch pad, as is the idea. According to Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of Agnikul Cosmos, the test launch would take place from the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) rocket port Sriharikota in India.
When asked what the payload would be, Ravichandran responded that it would be a dummy payload. The Agnibaan rocket, which has two stages, can carry 100 kg of cargo into low Earth orbits that are 700 km high. It also supports plug-and-play construction.
The business just launched its first plant for 3D-printed rocket engines in the IIT Madras Research Park. The plant was built with the capacity to make two rocket engines per week with its Agnibaan rocket in mind.
S.R. Chakravarthy, Professor and Head, National Centre for Combustion Research and Development, IIT Madras and Advisor to Agnikul, responded about intentions to conduct the test launch early next month: “We have been working toward it all along, but nothing is fixed yet.”
Before the end of 2022, the test launch is supposed to take place, according to Ravichandran. He added that Agnikul is receiving tremendous assistance from the ISRO. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between Agnikul and ISRO was signed last year, giving the former access to ISRO facilities and expertise for the development and testing of Space Launch Vehicle subsystems and systems.