India’s first personal rocket launchpad will get prepared 

Express News Service

CHENNAI: While the nation is celebrating the profitable launch of Vikram-S rocket, India’s first personal rocket, one other spacetech firm from Chennai, Agnikul Cosmos, incubated by IIT-Madras, is quietly constructing India’s first personal launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota for its maiden rocket launch tentatively scheduled for subsequent month. 

“The launch pad work commenced six months ago and is nearing completion. It’s a miniature launch facility customised to suit our requirements. Unlike Skyroot, we can’t use ISRO’s sounding rocket complex or use PSLV/GSLV launch pads due to their sheer gigantic size for our Agnibaan rocket which will use our patented semi-cryogenic engine. We needed a modular launch pad with an umbilical tower to support the vertical launch that we are planning,” Srinath Ravichandran, CEO and co-founder, Agnikul Cosmos, instructed TNIE.  

ISRO chairman S Somanath stated the area company welcomes personal gamers to construct infrastructure, together with launch pads, at Sriharikota. “It all depends on the demand. If there is a need for more launch pads, private players are free to synergise. The space reforms introduced in 2020 were not only meant for manufacturing rockets, it can also be for ramping up infrastructure.” On why it took appreciable time for the launch of Agnibaan, Srinath stated, “Ours is a completely different technology.”   

‘Full scale flight after successful Agnibaan launch in December’

“We will be flying a patented semi-cryogenic engine. This will be happening for the first time in the country. Unlike Skyroot’s mission, Agnibaan launch will be a near orbital flight. Though our maiden flight will also be a sub-orbital mission, the vehicle has higher capability. We just wanted to test our actual orbital flight at a smaller scale. Once the December launch is successful, we will be going for a full-scale orbital flight very shortly because almost all the systems that we will be using in an orbital flight will be tested starting from engine tanks, avionics, and flight software etc,” Srinath stated.

Another distinction between Vikram-S and Agnibaan is that the latter shall be a managed flight. Agnibaan can even be utilizing a Flight Termination System equipped by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This could be the primary time a system utilized by ISRO for its automobiles shall be used for supporting a non-public launch car inbuilt India.

Srinath stated that the credit score for personal area entities making speedy strides within the sector goes to the Union authorities, ISRO and IN-SPACe as they’ve opened up their amenities and experience for growth of personal area launch automobiles.

Vikram-s soars with three payloads 

India’s first personal rocket, Vikram-S, was efficiently launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Friday
It carried three payloads from Chennai-based start-up SpaceKidz, Andhra Pradesh-based N-SpaceTech, and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab 

Vikram-S rocket reached its deliberate altitude of 89.5 km in 155 seconds

Vikram-S named after  Vikram Sarabhai, father of India’s area programme

FDI norms more likely to be relaxed in two months to assist area sector development. First personal launch after sector opened for personal gamers in 2020

CHENNAI: While the nation is celebrating the profitable launch of Vikram-S rocket, India’s first personal rocket, one other spacetech firm from Chennai, Agnikul Cosmos, incubated by IIT-Madras, is quietly constructing India’s first personal launch pad at Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota for its maiden rocket launch tentatively scheduled for subsequent month. 

“The launch pad work commenced six months ago and is nearing completion. It’s a miniature launch facility customised to suit our requirements. Unlike Skyroot, we can’t use ISRO’s sounding rocket complex or use PSLV/GSLV launch pads due to their sheer gigantic size for our Agnibaan rocket which will use our patented semi-cryogenic engine. We needed a modular launch pad with an umbilical tower to support the vertical launch that we are planning,” Srinath Ravichandran, CEO and co-founder, Agnikul Cosmos, instructed TNIE.  

ISRO chairman S Somanath stated the area company welcomes personal gamers to construct infrastructure, together with launch pads, at Sriharikota. “It all depends on the demand. If there is a need for more launch pads, private players are free to synergise. The space reforms introduced in 2020 were not only meant for manufacturing rockets, it can also be for ramping up infrastructure.” On why it took appreciable time for the launch of Agnibaan, Srinath stated, “Ours is a completely different technology.”   

‘Full scale flight after successful Agnibaan launch in December’

“We will be flying a patented semi-cryogenic engine. This will be happening for the first time in the country. Unlike Skyroot’s mission, Agnibaan launch will be a near orbital flight. Though our maiden flight will also be a sub-orbital mission, the vehicle has higher capability. We just wanted to test our actual orbital flight at a smaller scale. Once the December launch is successful, we will be going for a full-scale orbital flight very shortly because almost all the systems that we will be using in an orbital flight will be tested starting from engine tanks, avionics, and flight software etc,” Srinath stated.

Another distinction between Vikram-S and Agnibaan is that the latter shall be a managed flight. Agnibaan can even be utilizing a Flight Termination System equipped by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO). This could be the primary time a system utilized by ISRO for its automobiles shall be used for supporting a non-public launch car inbuilt India.

Srinath stated that the credit score for personal area entities making speedy strides within the sector goes to the Union authorities, ISRO and IN-SPACe as they’ve opened up their amenities and experience for growth of personal area launch automobiles.

Vikram-s soars with three payloads 

India’s first personal rocket, Vikram-S, was efficiently launched from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on Friday
It carried three payloads from Chennai-based start-up SpaceKidz, Andhra Pradesh-based N-SpaceTech, and Armenian BazoomQ Space Research Lab 
Vikram-S rocket reached its deliberate altitude of 89.5 km in 155 seconds

Vikram-S named after  Vikram Sarabhai, father of India’s area programme

FDI norms more likely to be relaxed in two months to assist area sector development. First personal launch after sector opened for personal gamers in 2020