Chennai-based start-up Agnikul Cosmos has made history by successfully launching the Agnibaan, the world’s first rocket powered by a fully 3D printed rocket engine. This landmark achievement marks multiple firsts for India’s private space ecosystem and showcases the potential of homegrown space technology.
Key Highlights of Agnibaan Launch
- With assistance from ISRO, the startup successfully carried out a sub-orbital test-flight of its home-built rocket — Agnibaan —from Sriharikota.
- This has achieved several firsts for the Indian space ecosystem
- Agnibaan has become the world’s first 3D printed engine.
- It became the first semi-cryogenic engine-powered rocket launch. It also became India’s first rocket launch from a private launchpad.
- Agnibaan is powered by the only rocket engine in the country that uses both gas and liquid fuel (liquid oxygen/kerosene).
What is Agnibaan SOrTeD (Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator)?
- Agnibaan SOrTeD is a single-stage launch vehicle powered by Agnikul’s patented Agnilet semi-cryogenic engine.
- In contrast to traditional sounding rockets, Agnibaan SOrTeD’s vertical take-off and precise trajectory enable orchestrated manoeuvres during flight.
- A sub-orbital launch is a spaceflight that reaches outer space but doesn’t complete an orbit around the Earth.
- The spacecraft’s trajectory intersects the Earth’s atmosphere or surface, so it doesn’t become an artificial satellite or reach escape velocity.
- This was the fifth attempt by Agnikul to launch the Agnibaan SOrTeD since March 22.
Features of the Agnibaan Rocket
- Agnibaan is a customizable, two-stage launch vehicle that can carry a payload of up to 300 kg into orbit of about 700 km.
- The rocket uses a semi-cryogenic engine, a technology that is yet to be demonstrated by the ISRO in any of its rockets.
- A semi-cryogenic engine is a type of rocket engine that uses a combination of liquid and gaseous propellants.
- The test flight aims to: demonstrate the in-house and homegrown technologies, gather crucial flight data, and ensure the optimal functioning of systems for AgniKul’s orbital launch vehicle, the ‘Agnibaan’.
- It can access both low and high-inclination orbits and is completely mobile — designed for accessing more than 10 launch ports
Understanding 3D Printing and Its Role in Agnibaan
- 3D printing is also known as additive manufacturing
- It is a process that uses computer-created design to make three-dimensional objects layer by layer.
- It is an additive process, in which layers of a material like plastic, composites or bio-materials are built up to construct objects that range in shape, size, rigidity and colour.
- It was invented in the 1980s
Advantages of 3D Printing in Aerospace
- To carry out 3D printing, one needs a personal computer connected to a 3D printer. All they need to do is design a 3D model of the required object on computer-aid design (CAD) software and press ‘print’.
- The 3D printer does the rest of the job.
- 3D printers construct the desired object by using a layering method, which is the complete opposite of the subtractive manufacturing processes.
- These machines are capable of printing anything from ordinary objects like a ball or a spoon to complex moving parts like hinges and wheels.
Examples of 3D Printing
- 3D printing is being used in a host of different industries like healthcare, automobile and aerospace.
- In May 2023, aerospace manufacturing company Relativity Space launched a test rocket made entirely from 3D-printed parts, measuring 100 feet tall and 7.5 feet wide. However, shortly after its take off, it suffered a failure.
- At the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, the healthcare industry used 3D printers to make much-needed medical equipment, like swabs, face shields, and masks, as well as the parts to fix their ventilator.
Global and Indian Initiatives Supporting 3D Printing Technology
- Atal Innovation Mission (AIM)- It is a flagship initiative to create and promote entrepreneurship and innovation across the country.
- Atal Tinkering Labs – It is launched under AIM which aims to foster creativity and innovation in young minds.
- It focuses on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) concepts.
- Dedicated workspaces have been set up with do-it-yourself (DIY) kits including 3D printers, robotics and miniaturised electronics are installed.
- National Strategy on Additive Manufacturing– The strategy aims to increase India’s share in global AM to 5% with a target to add nearly US 1$bn to the GDP by 2025.
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