In a significant milestone for India's private space industry, Agnikul Cosmos successfully launched its SOrTeD mission, a single-stage launch vehicle demonstration powered by a semi-cryogenic 3D-printed engine.
The mission, which lasted approximately two minutes, marked a major achievement for the company and the country in the development of indigenous space technology.
ISRO congratulated the Chennai-based space start-up, terming the launch "a major milestone".
"Congratulations Agnikul Cosmos for the successful launch of the Agnibaan SoRTed-01 mission from their launch pad. A major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realised through additive manufacturing," ISRO tweeted.
The SOrTeD mission, which was initially scheduled to launch on April 7 but was postponed due to technical glitches, finally took off from India's first private launchpad, ALP-01, located at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
The mission featured a 6.2-meter-tall single-stage launch vehicle with an elliptical nose cone and was equipped with advanced avionics architecture and autopilot software developed in-house.
The Agnilet engine, the world's first single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine, powered the vehicle. The mission included a series of precise manoeuvres, including a pitch-over manoeuvre and wind biasing, before splashing down in the Bay of Bengal.
The successful launch of SOrTeD marks a significant step forward for Agnikul Cosmos, which is targeting the multi-billion-dollar small satellite launch market.
The mission's data will help fine-tune the development of the Agnibaan launch vehicle, which is expected to be highly customisable and capable of carrying a 300kg payload to a 700km orbit.
