Agnikul Cosmos aims to launch custom satellites by early 2025 after successful Agnibaan test

Chennai based start-up Agnikul Cosmos has made landmark development with the successful test flight of their Agnibaan SOrTeD (suborbital technology demonstrator) rocket.

This has come after a focused research effort into being able to achieve their ambitious but seemingly possible, after this success, goal of launching customised satellites by early 2025. 

Customised satellites are specifically designed and built to meet the unique requirements of a particular mission, organisation or customer. Unlike standardised satellites that serve general purposes, customised satellites are tailored to address specific needs— whether the needs may be scientific, commercial or military.

Agnibaan SOrTeD test flight took place on 30 May and lasted for 66 seconds. This attempt had proven successful after four similar failed endeavours. It managed to demonstrate full health after lift-off, once the autopilot and engaged and proceed on it’s planned trajectory. Around 60 seconds into the flight, the rocket also managed to successfully adjust for wind speed and minimised the load it took on the wind by flying in the same direction. After it’s planned trajectory was mapped entirely by the rocket, it burned out and safely descended into the ocean, sixty-six seconds after lift-off. 

“Seven seconds after lift-off, we checked the health of the vehicle, and the autopilot kicked in. A bit into the flight, it started moving over the ocean, performed the pitch-over manoeuvre, and continued on its planned trajectory,” Ravichandran said, explaining the process. “Once it reached about 60 seconds, we entered the wind-biasing manoeuvre, where we adjusted for wind speed and flew into the wind to minimise wind load on the vehicle.” 

“There was continuous radar tracking of the vehicle, and all tracking devices and instruments worked well.” 

What makes this advent unique is that Agnikul Cosmos have proven the effectiveness of using 3D printing technology by employing it in the material used to build it’s engines and rockets. This approach is time-efficient, allowing for a quicker turn around and enabling the formation of customised launch vehicles for satellites. 

Agnikul Cosmos target:

According to CEO and co-founder Srinath Ravichandran, Agnikul Cosmos is targeting a commercial orbital launch of the Agnibaan rocket within this year or the next. The company’s 3D printed semi-cryogenic engines and rockets offer a very different and innovative solution to placating the growing demand in the satellite industry. 

“Nine to 12 months, I would say. Probably by the end of this financial year or the early part of the next financial year is what we are targeting,” Ravichandran said regarding the commercial orbital launch of the Agnibaan rocket.

Ravichandran also shared his optimism at the success of the test flight after many failed attempts. “It was a big sense of relief. We learned a lot about the differences between building and launching a vehicle,” he said.

What Agnikul Cosmos hopes to achieve after this is the mastery of multiple engine firing and conducting successful stage separation tests. Ravichandran is confident about the positive market tendency for this innovation, emphasising high demand for small satellites, with 30-35 tonnes of payloads placed in low Earth orbits annually. These small satellites serve various purposes, including earth imaging and communications applications. 

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