What is the News ?

A Chennai-based start-up AgniKul Cosmos, has commenced the process of integrating its cutting-edge Agnibaan SOrTeD rocket at its private Launchpad in Sriharikota.

Facts About:

• The integration process was initiated on Independence Day on August 15, 2023.
• A successful launch would make AgniKul the second Indian space tech start-up to send its launch vehicle into space after Skyroot Aerospace.
• AgniKul: Established in 2017, by aerospace engineers Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM, along with IIT-Madras faculty member Prof. Sathyanarayan R Chakravarthy.

About Agnibaan SOrTeD (SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator):-

Type: single-stage launch vehicle.

Powered by: AgniKul’s patented Agnilet engine.

• Agnilet engine: It is the world’s sole single-piece 3D-printed engine.
• It is a single-piece, 6 kilonewton (kN) semi-cryogenic engine.
• Initial trial: early 2021.
• Verified at the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC) in Thiruvananthapuram.
• 3D printing: uses materials such as plastics and metals to convert products envisaged on computer-aided design to real three-dimensional items.

Payloads: up to 100 kg.

Altitude: 700 km

• It can carry payloads in five different configurations. (LVM3-M2 rocket)

Stages: It is a customizable launch vehicle that could be launched in one or two stages.

Unique feature: unlike traditional sounding rockets that launch from guide rails, it will lift off vertically and follow a predetermined trajectory to perform a precisely orchestrated set of maneuvers during flight.

The rocket’s first stage could have up to seven Agnilet engines, depending on the mission, which are powered by Liquid Oxygen and Kerosene.

The rocket is also designed for launch from more than 10 different launch ports.

To ensure its compatibility with multiple launch ports, AgniKul has built a launch pedestal named ‘Dhanush’.

• It will support the rocket’s mobility across all its configurations.

Source: https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/science/chennai-based-agnikul-prepares-for-maiden-sub-orbital-flight-of-agnibaan-rocket/articleshow/102805834.cms?from=mdr