Space startup Agnikul unveils plans to build fully-resusable rockets

Space start-up Agnikul Cosmos announced on Monday that the rockets it plans to build will be fully reusable, allowing it to offer satellite-launch services at globally-competitive prices.

The Chennai-based start-up made the announcement at the International Astronautical Congress in Sydney and asserted that it is aiming to ensure that no part of its rockets is fully expended or left behind.

Agnikul carried out its maiden sub-orbital test flight of its 3D-printed rocket, Agnibaan SOrTeD, last year and plans to carry out its orbital launch soon.

"We have consistently designed our vehicles to ensure that affordability and flexibility are never afterthoughts but are built in from day one," Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of Agnikul Cosmos, said.

"We are grateful to the critical support from IN-SPACe and ISRO. Their willingness to allow us to explore rocket-stage recovery and reuse has empowered us to attempt this feat both from a policy friendliness and tech support standpoint," he added.

Backed by multiple patents secured in the United States, Europe and India for Agnikul's proprietary multi-purpose and reusability technologies, the company is scaling up towards commercially-viable, fully-reusable launch vehicles, it said in a statement.

Central to this effort is Agnikul's patent on combined launch vehicle and satellite systems, along with its semi-cryogenic propellant technology, chosen to enable efficient refurbishment and cost-effective re-flights.

Following a fully-successful controlled-ascent launch using Agnikul's proprietary autopilot algorithms and software, the company is accelerating development to validate commercially-valuable reusable spaceflight technologies.

Agnikul's in-house development facilities are one of the main driving forces of this new attempt, with every patent and system designed to support more affordable, customisable launch services, while keeping economic scalability at the core.

"Our newly-planned strategy enables cost efficiencies at scale, allowing us to deliver launch services at globally-competitive prices for all small satellite missions," said Moin SPM, co-founder and COO of Agnikul Cosmos.

"Unless we embrace new technologies, small rockets cannot achieve the commercial viability our customers will need. This is why our test flight last year was not just a sounding rocket but an amalgamation of almost all the technologies required for controlled ascent," he said.

These innovations are designed to maximise reusability and operational efficiency, reinforcing India's growing role in the global space economy while meeting international debris mitigation standards.