All you need to know about ISRO backed rocket ‘Agniban’ successful test firing on fifth attempt

Chennai: Chennai-based private space start-up Agnikul Cosmos successfully test-fired its rocket named Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator) on the fifth attempt on Thursday.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has announced that the Chennai based start-up successfully launched the rocket at 7.15 am.

According to Srinath Ravichandran, a co-founder of the space start-up, “This launch is significant since it is India’s first launch from a private launchpad and the rocket has the world’s first single piece 3D printed engine designed and built indigenously.”

Right ahead of the launch, the start-up issued a statement saying, “Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator) is a single-stage launch vehicle driven by Agnikul’s patented Agnilet engine – an entirely 3D-printed, single-piece, 6 kN semi-cryogenic engine. Agnibaan SOrTeD will lift off vertically and follow a predetermined trajectory. The trajectory, manoeuvres and various flight events that will occur during the mission have been configured to validate tech integral to the success of our upcoming orbital flights. We are excited to be attempting this flight from our own launch pad [named Dhanush] at Sriharikota.”

With this, ISRO flew a semi-cryogenic engine for the first time. Besides, ISRO also tested the startup’s first-ever 3D printed engine in ground tests on May 9.

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