Hardeep Singh
Introduction
The National Center for Combustion Research and Development at IIT Madras gave birth to AgniKul Cosmos Private Limited, which is based in Chennai, India. The business intends to develop and launch its own small-lift launch vehicle, similar to the Agnibaan, capable of delivering a 100-kilogram payload into a 700-kilometer orbit.
Agnikul Cosmos, an Indian space technology business, has recently made news for its ambitions to capitalise on the immense potential for space travel in the coming decade. Agnikul Cosmos has achieved considerable progress since its beginning in 2017, including agreements with Alaska Aerospace Corporation in the United States and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with ISRO for access to its infrastructure and technological knowledge. This company, which started at IIT Madras, is presently working on the Agnibaan, a popular launch vehicle that will be available in 2022. This Agnibaan rocket is designed to launch small satellites weighing up to 100 kg into low Earth orbit.
Thanks to the space company’s cab-like service, small satellite makers will be able to launch from anywhere in the world at any time. Agnikul Cosmos is also looking on ways to make space travel more affordable and accessible for research, scientific advancement, and business. In the future, it intends to launch at least 20-25 times every year.
Founders and the foundation stone
Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of rocket startup AgniKul Cosmos, sees a day when India has its own huge private aerospace company, similar to Elon Musk’s SpaceX or Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin, that would take passengers to the edge of space and beyond.
The firm was created at IIT Madras by Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM with a seed investment of 3 crore (equivalent to 3.6 crore or US$470,000 in 2020) with the goal of developing and launching its first rocket in 2021, then expanding to hoist satellites weighing up to 500 kg. Chairman of the Mahindra Group, Anand Mahindra, has made a personal investment in AgniKul. The sum, however, was not revealed. In September 2021, AgniKul and the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) inked a framework agreement to get access to ISRO facilities and technical knowledge in order to develop their two-stage Agnibaan small-satellite launch vehicle.
Vishesh Rajaram and Arjun Rao of Speciale Invest have invested INR 3 crores in the firm. Agnibaan, the company’s launch vehicle, is a plug-and-play engine configuration capable of delivering up to 100 kg of cargo to low Earth orbits of 700 kilometres.
Idea and Concept of Agnikul Cosmos
Regardless of technical progress, launching a satellite is a major undertaking. A tiny spacecraft weighing less than 500 kg takes at least 24 months to approach Earth’s orbit. The delay is due to the fact that such tiny satellites lack their own launch vehicles.
Government agencies like NASA and the Indian Orbit Research Organization (ISRO), as well as commercial companies like Space X, are now launching specialised satellites for specific space applications. There is, however, one snag: their launch vehicles aren’t suited for tiny satellites. They’ll be used to put satellites into orbit that weigh more than 1,000 kg.
Agnikul Cosmos, which is now incubating at IIT Madras, is taking on this task. The firm was created in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM, and it provides a specialised launch vehicle for smaller satellites at a lower cost.
Conclusion
Surprisingly, 3D printing is used to construct the bulk of Agnikul’s rocket. According to the designers, it’s a win since 3D printing the rocket decreases total production costs while providing pinpoint precision in overall design. The team is presently working on the research and testing component of their launch vehicle at the NCCRD facility. India’s aviation industry has progressed significantly throughout the years. Agnikul, on the other hand, might be the first Indian business to launch small satellites into space. Moin thinks that if the finance is granted, they would be India’s first business to send a spacecraft into orbit by 2021.
The platform has a long way to go and it would be prudent enough to see how it performs in merger and acquisition thing, if ever in the future, the need arises.
