India’s first private rocket engine factory inaugurated by Agnikul Cosmos

Agnikul Cosmos, a Homegrown space startup, opens up the country’s first private rocket engine factory.

The facility was inaugurated by N. Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Tata Sons, and S. Somanath, chairman of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

“Since companies and organisations looking to launch satellites no longer have access to Russian facilities, and launching aboard heavy rockets could be expensive, small orbital launch vehicles can help India win a large chunk of satellite launch orders in the near future,” said Srinath Ravichandran, chief executive, Agnikul Cosmos.

The new facility is reported to use additive manufacturing technology to develop 3D printed engines for its in-house rockets.

“The facility can currently build up to two rocket engines every week. This will allow it to build sufficient engines for the launch of Agnibaan, its two-stage launch vehicle, which is expected to happen by this year-end,” added Ravichandran. He added that the company would take an additional week to launch the Agnibaan rocket once the engines were ready.

Agnibaan is reported to be lighter than ISRO’s upcoming Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV).

“Gaining the ability to build small, easy to build, and affordable rockets on a conveyor belt setup will help India build capacity to attract a larger chunk of the global satellite launch market,” said Chaitanya Girl, a consultant at Research and Information System for Developing Countries, a New Delhi-based research institute.

This news article has come from www.manufacturingtodayindia.com