AgniKul Cosmos

AgniKul Cosmos Private Limited[a] is an Indian aerospace manufacturer based in National Centre for Combustion Research and Development (NCCRD) of IIT Madras, Chennai.[1][2] The start up aims to develop and launch its own small-lift launch vehicle such as the Agnibaan, capable of placing 100 kg (220 lb) payload into a 700 km (430 mi) orbit. The first commercial launch was expected in 2022. However, no launch happened in that year. The first suborbital mission will be conducted on 22 March 2024. This did not happen either. The company tried twice to launch its suborbital rocket in March and April but postponed due to technical issues.[3][4]

Mockups of the Agnibaan launch vehicle and it's engine at the International Astronautical Congress 2021.

History

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The company was founded by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM, Satyanarayanan Chakravarthy and Janardhana Raju within IIT Madras with a seed funding of ₹3 crore (equivalent to ₹4.2 crore or US$500,000 in 2023) with aim to develop and launch its first rocket in 2021 and subsequently develop ability to provide launch service for satellites weighing up to 100 kg (220 lb).[5][6] The start-up later managed to raise up to ₹23.4 crore (equivalent to ₹28 crore or US$3.3 million in 2023) from investors.[7] Till end of 2020, the company had raised almost $4 million and headed towards the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) for advisory.[8] A Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) was signed with Department of Space to obtain government's technological assistance in development of launch vehicles.[9] Although the company entered an agreement with Alaska Aerospace Corporation to launch rocket from Kodiak Launch Complex as a commercial launch pad to test rockets was not available in India, the deal eventually fizzled out as no progress was made with the vehicle.[10] AgniKul has received investment from personal capacity of Anand Mahindra, chairman of Mahindra Group. Although, amount was not specified.[11]

AgniKul signed a framework agreement with the Department of Space in September 2021 for access to ISRO facilities and technical expertise for the development of its two-stage small-satellite Agnibaan launch vehicle.[12] On 7 November 2022, Agnikul Cosmos bought its first Flight Termination System (FTS) from ISRO. It will be used in Agnibaan scheduled for launch from Satish Dhawan Space Centre.[13]

In October 2023, AgniKul raised $26.7 million in a Series B funding round, bringing the total capital raised since its inception to $40 million. Both existing and new investors participated in the round.[14][15]

According to co-founder and CEO Srinath Ravichandran, Agnikul is attempting to perfect the technology of firing several engines simultaneously and conducting experiments for stage separation following the success of the Agnibaan SOrTeD mission. Additionally, the company began constructing rigs, which will take six to seven months. The first orbital launch will occur three months after rigs construction is complete.[16]

Development of engines

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• In February 2021, Agnikul test fired its semi-cryogenic rocket engine Agnilet which will power second stage of its rocket Agnibaan for the first time. Agnikul claimed the engine has been developed in single-piece through 3D printing with no assembled parts.

[17]

• On 8 November 2022, Agnilet was successfully test fired for a few seconds on Vertical Test Facility, Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), at Vikram Sarabhai Space Center (VSSC) to validate the design and manufacturing methodology used in the development process. AgniKul Cosmos holds the patent for design and manufacturing of single-piece rocket engine. The first dedicated factory to manufacture large number of 3D printed rocket engines is in IIT Madras Research Park.

[18]

• On 7 February 2023, flight acceptance test of Angilet for Agnikul's controlled sub-orbital flight was successfully conducted. The engine was completely manufactured at Agnikul's Rocket Factory - 1. In this particular test, engine was fired over and above the mission burn time as required for flight acceptance.

[19]

Launch vehicle

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Main article: Agnibaan

A graphical representation of the Agnibaan launch vehicle

Agnibaan (Devanagari: अग्निबाण, ISO: Agnibāṇa) (lit. 'Arrow of Fire') is envisaged to be a mobile launch system capable of placing a 100 kg (220 lb) satellite into a 700 km (430 mi) orbit. The rocket will be 18 meters long with a diameter of 1.3 meters and a lift-off mass of 14,000 kg (31,000 lb). It will use clustered engines on first stage in various configurations depending upon the payload and will only use LOX and Kerosene based engines.[20] A single-stage suborbital demonstrator, nicknamed Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator) was successfully launched on 30 May 2024 as a suborbital test flight.[21] [22]

Launch pad and mission control centre

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AgniKul Cosmos inaugurated first private launchpad and mission control centre in India at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota, Andhra Pradesh on 28 November 2022. The launchpad and the mission control centre are 4 km apart from one another. At present, the launchpad can handle liquid stage launch vehicle.[23] All the critical systems performing functions at Agnikul launchpad (ALP) and the Agnikul mission control center (AMCC) have high degree of redundancy to ensure 100% operationality although none of these systems were tested so far.[24] ISRO's range operations team will monitor key flight safety parameters during launches from ALP while AMCC can share critical data with ISRO's Mission Control Center.[25] Both the facilities have support of ISRO and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).[26]

Launch history

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Untitled

S.No	Date / time (UTC)	Rocket,Configuration	Launch site	Payload	Orbit	Customer	Status	Note	Files
1	30 May 2024 / 07:15	Agnibaan SOrTeD	Satish Dhawan ALP	Mass simulator	Suborbital	—	Success	Seven seconds after lift-off, auto-pilot was engaged. The rocket began traveling across the ocean, executed the pitch-over maneuver, and then carried out its intended course. The rocket entered wind biasing maneuver at roughly 60 seconds. The rocket then carried on flying until it burned out and fell back into the ocean.[16][27][28]
2	Q3 2024	Agnibaan	Satish Dhawan ALP		Low Earth	TBA	Planned	Maiden flight of Agnibaan rocket.
3	Q4 2024	Agnibaan	Satish Dhawan ALP		Low Earth	TBA	Planned

See also

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• Agnibaan
• Skyroot Aerospace
• Bellatrix Aerospace
• Indian Space Research Organisation
• IN–SPACe
• Indian Space Association
• Space industry of India
• Department of Space

Notes

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External links

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• Official website