Indian private space sector opens |
Indian Space-tech start-up Agnikul on November 28 said it has established India`s first launchpad designed and operated by a private player. The facility, situated at Sriharikota, was inaugurated by ISRO chairman S Somanath on November 25. The facility which was designed by Agnikul and executed with support from ISRO and Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) has two sections to it — the Agnikul launchpad (ALP) and the Agnikul mission control centre (AMCC). Agnikul in a statement said, “Critical systems connecting these two sections, which are 4 km away from each other, are redundant to ensure 100% operationality during the countdown. The launchpad is specifically built keeping in mind the ability to support liquid stage-controlled launches, while also addressing the need for ISRO`s range operations team to monitor key flight safety parameters during launches.” Additionally, it has the ability to, as necessary, share data and other critical information with ISRO`s mission control centre. Agnikul`s first launch, which will be a controlled-and-guided mission, having a vertical launch, using its patented engine, will happen from this launchpad. The mission would be a technology demonstrator that will mirror Agnikul`s orbital launch but at a reduced scale. “Agnibaan is a highly customizable, 2-stage launch vehicle, capable of taking up to 100 kg payload to orbits around 700 km high (low Earth orbits) and enables plug-and-play configuration. Agnilet is the world`s first single-piece 3D-printed engine fully designed and manufactured in India and was successfully test-fired in early 2021 & became the first company in the country to test its engines at ISRO,” the firm said.
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