Agnikul Cosmos, India’s private space start-up, today test-fired its rocket named Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator), which is powered by an engine that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is still trying to master.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that the Chennai based start-up successfully launched the rocket at 7.15 am. ISRO chairman Mr S Somanath confirmed to NDTV that the launch was “successful”.
Congratulations @AgnikulCosmos for the successful launch of the Agnibaan SoRTed-01 mission from their launch pad.
A major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realized through additive manufacturing.@INSPACeIND
— ISRO (@isro) May 30, 2024
“Congratulations @AgnikulCosmos for the successful launch of the Agnibaan SoRTed-01 mission from their launch pad. A major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realized through additive manufacturing,” ISRO posted on X.
Satya R Chakravarty, a professor from IIT Madras and a mentor for Agnikul, too, said the launch from Sriharikota was successful.
“Humbled to announce the successful completion of our first flight – Mission 01 of Agnibaan SOrTeD – from our own and India’s first & only private Launchpad within SDSC-SHAR at Sriharikota. All the mission objectives of this controlled vertical ascent flight were met and performance was nominal. The vehicle was completely designed in-house and was powered by the world’s first single piece 3d printed engine and also happens to be India’s first flight with a semi cryo engine,” Agnikul said in a statement after the successful launch.
“Our greatest thanks to @INSPACeIND @isro @iitmadras & our incredibly committed team in helping us prove that a private player can design and fly original space tech hardware in India. #madeInIndiaForTheWorld,” the statement added.
This was the fifth attempt to launch the rocket after four launch plans were aborted due to technical glitches. Rocketry is not for the faint-hearted, and the young team of engineers from the Chennai-based start-up has showed remarkable patience and bounced back every time a glitch foiled their plans.
Incubated at IIT-Madras, this was the first test flight for the start-up, founded in 2017 by two young aerospace engineers with a dream to create “a place where people learn to use fire”.
The rocket, which weighs 575 kg and is 6.2-metre long, lifted off from Sriharikota plunging into the Bay of Bengal.
The Agnibaan SOrTeD is powered by a semi-cryogenic engine that uses commercially available aviation turbine fuel, essentially kerosene and medical grade liquid oxygen, said Moin SPM, co-founder of Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited.
ISRO has never flown a semi-cryogenic engine. It is developing a 2000 kN thrust semi-cryogenic engine and the first ignition trial was conducted successfully on May 2. So, the Chennai-based start-up has achieved what no other Indian private firm did.
Agnikul has demonstrated the first semi-cryogenic and 3D printed engine by the Indian private sector, says Dr Pawan Goenka, a mechanical engineer and chairperson of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) under the Centre’s Department of Space. “This bold innovation could be a significant differentiator when commercial launches start by India’s start-ups.”
Srinath Ravichandran, a co-founder of the space start-up, said, “This launch is significant since it is India’s first launch from a private launchpad and the rocket has the world’s first single piece 3D printed engine designed and built indigenously.”