ISRO provides the private launch vehicle with a rocket system by Agnibaan
- The 15-second heat test was completed without incident by VSSC.
- An MoU was used to conduct the test.
- Agnilet is a 1.4 kN semi-cryogenic engine with regenerative cooling.
For the first time, the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) has provided a rocket system to support a domestically produced private launch vehicle. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe), a single-window autonomous government agency to promote, permit, and oversee private sector space-based activities, helped Agnikul Cosmos, a startup in the space technology industry based in Chennai, receive its first flight termination system (FTS) from ISRO on November 7.
The official handover ceremony marked the end of numerous rounds of discussions about interacting with, handling, and employing these technologies on Agnikul's launch vehicle, 'Agnibaan,' according to a statement released on Friday by the national space agency based here.
This is also a first because it involves the supply of a system that has previously supported ISRO's spacecraft in order to support a privately produced launch vehicle made in India. The container will be utilised for their fully automated sub-orbital launch vehicle, which is planned to lift off from SDSC SHAR in Sriharikota, it was stated.
Agnikul describes Agnibaan as a highly customizable, two-stage launch vehicle. On November 4, the hot testing of a rocket engine created by Agnikul Cosmos was made possible thanks to the Vikram Sarabhai Space Centre (VSSC), the primary ISRO centre for the development of launch vehicles.
At its Vertical Test Facility, Thumba Equatorial Rocket Launching Station (TERLS), Thiruvananthapuram, VSSC successfully completed the 15-second hot test of the Agnilet Engine. In accordance with a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed by ISRO and Agnikul Cosmos, the test was conducted in order to give Indian space start-ups the chance to use ISRO facilities through IN-SPACe.
Liquid oxygen and aviation turbine fuel are the propellants used in the 1.4 kN, semi-cryogenic Agnilet engine. Modern 3D printing technology, according to the statement, was used to create this engine.