Agnikul Cosmos successfully test fires 2nd stage semi-cryogenic engine

Rocket manufacturing startup, Agnikul Cosmos on Tuesday said that it successfully test fired a second stage semi-cryogenic engine.

According to Agnikul Cosmos, the single piece, fully 3D printed, second stage rocket engine powered by semi-cryogenic fuel Agnilet was test fired at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), part of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO).

The company's co-founder and CEO, Srinath Ravichandran, earlier told IANS that they are pushing hard to have the first test launch of their rocket Agnibaan before the end of 2022.

Queried about the payload to be carried, Ravichandran had said it will be a dummy payload.

Agnibaan is a two stage rocket with 100 kg payload capacity to orbits around 700 km high (low Earth orbits) and enables plug-and-play configuration.

The company recently opened its first 3D printed rocket engine factory located at the IIT Madras Research Park.

The factory has been designed keeping in mind the ability to produce two rocket engines per week for its rocket Agnibaan.

When queried about plans to have the test launch sometime next month, S.R. Chakravarthy, Professor and Head, National Centre for Combustion Research and Development, IIT Madras and Advisor to Agnikul told IANS: "We have been working towards it all the while but nothing is fixed yet."

The Agnikul and ISRO signed an MoU, enabling access to the former to ISRO facilities and expertise towards the development and testing of subsystems/systems of Space Launch Vehicles.

--IANS

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