The first suborbital test vehicle was successfully launched on 30 May 2024. This mission achieved several notable milestones including world's first flight with a single-piece 3D-printed engine, India's first semi-cryo engine launch and India's first launch from a private launch pad.
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).[4][5] 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.[6] Till end of 2020, the company had raised almost $4 million and headed towardsISRO for advisory.[7] ANon-Disclosure Agreement (NDA) was signed withDepartment of Space to obtain government's technological assistance in development of launch vehicles.[8] Although the company entered an agreement withAlaska Aerospace Corporation to launch rocket fromKodiak 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.[9] AgniKul has received investment from personal capacity ofAnand Mahindra, chairman ofMahindra Group. Although, amount was not specified.[10]
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.[11] On 7 November 2022, Agnikul Cosmos bought its first Flight Termination System (FTS) from ISRO. It will be used in Agnibaan scheduled for launch fromSatish Dhawan Space Centre.[12]
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.[13][14]
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 theAgnibaan 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.[15] In February 2026, AgniKul Cosmos announced a partnership with Neevcloud to build a proof of concept model for a space-based AI data center, to be launched by Agnibaan.[16]
A graphical representation of the Agnibaan launch vehicle
Agnibaan (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 useLOX andKerosene based engines.[17] A single-stage suborbital demonstrator, nicknamedAgnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator) was successfully launched on 30 May 2024 as a suborbital test flight.[18][19]
In February 2021, Agnikul test fired its semi-cryogenicrocket 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 through3D printing with no assembled parts.[20]
On 8 November 2022, Agnilet was successfully test fired for a few seconds on Vertical Test Facility,Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), atVikram 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.[21]
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.[22]
AgniKul Cosmos inaugurated first private launch pad and mission control centre in India at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre inSriharikota,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 andIndian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe).[26]
An agreement has been signed by Nibe Space, a division of Nibe Defence and Aerospace on 9 September 2024, with AgniKul Cosmos,Skyroot Aerospace,Centum Electronics, SpaceFields, Sisir Radar, CYRAN AI Solutions, andLarsen & Toubro for the launch of India's first constellation of multi-sensor, all-weather, high-revisit Earth observation satellites.[27]
^pronounced:ɐɡnikul (ISO:Agnikula); According to the founders of the company, 'AgniKul' is the portmanteau of 'Agni' and 'Gurukula', and the name therefore translates to "a place where people learn to use fire"
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