ISRO has achieved another milestone by successfully launching the Agnibaan rocket, the first private rocket in India, into space. Let's delve into what makes the Agnibaan rocket special and significant.
The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has initiated future rocket launches through private companies. As part of this initiative, ISRO collaborated with Agnikul, a private company led by IIT Chennai students, to successfully launch the Agnibaan rocket from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, Tirupati district, on Thursday at 7:15 AM.
This marks ISRO's first sub-orbital technology demonstrator launch. Chennai-based startup Agnikul Cosmos developed this rocket to launch satellites weighing up to 300 kg into an orbit 700 km above the Earth. This launch was initially scheduled for the 6th of this month but was postponed due to technical reasons. The successful launch has brought joy to both the management of Agnikul and the scientists involved.
This success is a significant step towards capturing global space markets. The private rocket launch lasted approximately two minutes in a single stage. It features the world's first single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine, patented by Agnikul Cosmos, and operates on sub-cooled liquid oxygen. The entire system was developed domestically. The rocket, with an elliptical nose and a length of 6.2 meters, carried a satellite within it. Additionally, it used an avionics system operating on Ethernet and a fully indigenous autopilot control system.
ISRO Chairman Somnath supervised the launch at SHAR and congratulated Agnikul Cosmos for this historic achievement.
