Agnikul Cosmos, the IIT-Madras incubated space start-up, has successfully launched Agnibaan’s 3D printed sub-orbital rocket, Agnibaan SOrTeD, from its private launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota. This comes after four attempts were called off in the last few months.

Indian Space Research Organisation in X said, “Congratulations @AgnikulCosmos on the successful launch of the Agnibaan SoRTed-01 mission from their launch pad. This is a major milestone, as it is the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realised through additive manufacturing.”

Agnibaan SOrTeD is a single-stage launch vehicle powered by AgniKul’s patented Agnilet engine, a 3D-printed, single-piece, 6 kilonewtons (kN) semi-cryogenic engine. It is also a two-stage launch vehicle equipped to place payloads of up to 100 kg into a low-Earth orbit at a distance of 700 km.

Established in 2017 by aerospace engineers Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM, along with IIT-Madras faculty member Sathyanarayan R Chakravarthy, Agnikul emerged was the first Indian company to sign an agreement with ISRO in December 2020.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, Union Minister of State for Entrepreneurship, Skill Development, Electronics & Technology, in a message on X, said, “Agnikul successfully completed its first launch from Agnikul’s own & India’s only private launchpad within SDSC-SHAR. Besides being the worlds first flight with a single piece 3D printed rocket engine, this controlled flight is also India’s first flight with a semi cryogenic engine. The vehicle was completely designed in-house in India and assembled at Agnikul’s facilities within IIT madras.”

“What Agnikul has achieved today, is nothing short of a historical milestone, since India launched its maiden rocket in 1963 from Thumba launch station. Agnibaan SOrTeD has got many firsts in its strides with being India’s first launch from a private launchpad, the first semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket launch and the world’s first single-piece 3D printed engine designed and built indigenously,” said AK Bhatt, Director General, Indian Space Association.

This is a huge boost and a proud moment for India’s thriving private space industry, and it is just a glimpse into what the future holds for us. Our hearty congratulations to the entire team behind this and best wishes for their future efforts. This significant launch, coupled with the recently introduced guidelines for the implementation of the Indian Space Policy 2023 by IN-SPACe and the new FDI regulations, will undoubtedly bolster global confidence in India’s private space industry and its growing capabilities, he said.