Agnikul Cosmos
Indian space startup Agnikul Cosmos on Thursday successfully launched its first sub-orbital test vehicle powered by the world’s first single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine, after aborting the launch at least four times earlier. This is an important test flight and a major achievement for India in the field of space technology.
Agniban SOrTeD (Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator) took off at 7.15 am on Thursday. While this is the second launch by a private startup in India, it is the first to use a private launchpad that the company has installed at the country’s only operational spaceport at the Satish Dhawan Space Center in Sriharikota.
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ISRO described the successful flight as a “significant milestone”. ISRO tweeted, “Congratulations to Agnikul Cosmos on the successful flight of Agnibaan SoRTed-01 from their independent launchpad! This is a major achievement for India in controlled flight with the first semi-cryogenic engine made by 3D printing.”
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
The flight lasted about two minutes. The projectile used for this mission has a height of 6.2 meters and has an oval shaped angle at its tip. The launch features indigenously developed state-of-the-art avionics and autopilot software.
Agnibaan is the world’s first 3D printed semi-cryogenic engine, which is the powerhouse of this launch. A carefully planned air route was used in several stages during the flight, finally the launch successfully landed in the Bay of Bengal.
This successful flight is a big milestone for Agnikul Cosmos. The company is targeting the billion dollar small satellite launch market. The information obtained on the basis of this flight will be used to improve the development of fireball launch in the future.
This launch is highly differentiated, capable of carrying a 300 kg satellite to a distance of 700 km.
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