Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra revealed on Monday that he is an investor in space startup Agnikul Cosmos, which launched the world’s first rocket with a fully 3D-printed engine last week…reports Asian Lite News
Mahindra Group Chairman Anand Mahindra, on Monday, disclosed that he is an investor in space startup Agnikul Cosmos, which last week launched the world’s first rocket with a fully 3D-printed engine.
On Thursday, the rocket Agnibaan SOrTeD (SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator) became India’s first semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket launch that was completely designed and manufactured indigenously.
It was launched from India’s first privately developed launchpad called ‘Dhanush’ established by Agnikul at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh at 7:15 a.m. on Thursday. The launch pad is located inside ISRO’s rocket port in Sriharikota.
“You’ll see a rocket lifting off. You’ll also see the talent of young Indians lifting off…,” Anand Mahindra posted on X.com.
“They’re my #MondayMotivation (Disclosure: I’m an investor in @AgnikulCosmos),” he added.
Agnibaan is a two-stage rocket with a capacity to carry up to 300 kg to a height of 700 km. The rocket engines are powered by liquid oxygen/kerosene.
In a post on X, Agnikul Cosmos, a startup incubated at the IIT Madras, revealed that the Agnibaan SOrTeD vehicle “works on data acquisition systems and flight computers that were 100 per cent designed in-house.”
The flight was a “controlled ascent with full 3-axis control” with a “fully developed and designed in-house” autopilot, said the company, noting that the burn time took 65 seconds as expected.
Further, Agnibaan was also the “first launch from India driven by computers working on Linux; by an ethernet-based architecture for connecting flight computers within the vehicle.”
The rocket was also the first to fly “with aviation-grade jet fuel and industrial-grade liquid oxygen,” the company said.
Agnikul Cosmos is expected to launch an orbital mission by 2025.
“A remarkable feat which will make the entire nation proud!” PM Modi said in a post on social media platform X.com.
“The successful launch of Agnibaan rocket powered by the world’s first single-piece 3D printed, semi-cryogenic engine is a momentous occasion for India’s space sector”.
The launch is also “a testament to the remarkable ingenuity of our Yuva Shakti”, PM Modi said.
The Prime Minister also extended “best wishes to the Agnikul Cosmos team for their future endeavours”.
The indigenously designed and manufactured Agnibaan-SOrTeD (SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator) lifted off from India’s first privately developed launchpad called ‘Dhanush’ at 7.15 a.m. today.
The launch pad, established by Agnikul at Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh, is located inside ISRO’s rocket port in Sriharikota.
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