The Rise of India’s Private Space Sector

[Varoon2]

What's happened to Agnikul's Agnibaan ? It's now been sitting on a launch pad for more than 3 months!

 

[FalconSlayers]

Indian Space Startup Bellatrix Aerospace, launch two payloads on PSLV - C58 XPoSat Missions POEM-3. It include the Rudra 0.3 HPGP green monopropellant thruster and ARKA 200, Xenon thruster variant.


From: @Karthi

Indian Space Startup Inspecity will send it Green Impulse TrAnsmitter (GITA) on PSLV - C58 XPoSat Missions POEM-3. InspeCity builds orbital transfer vehicles powered by green propulsion system that will deliver sats to their respective orbits In pic Orbital Transfer Vehicle.

The OTV will remain in its orbit, dock on to a customer satellite when necessary and carry out life-extension services which include, external inspections, refuelling, re-positioning, end of life de-orbiting, repairs etc.

TakeMe2Space, will deploy the Radiation Shielding Experiments Module, aiming to assess the effectiveness of tantalum coating on top of Aluminium, against high energy radiations onboard POEM-3. it enable #CubeSats built with off-the-shelf electronic components to last for years.

Dhruva Space will send their LEAP-TD P-30 nanosatellite platform on PSLV-C58 on 01 Jan, 2024. LEAP-TD mission features a derivative of the Dhruva Space P-30 sat platform integrated to ISRO’s PSLV Orbital Experimental Module, which allows in-orbit scientific experiments.

The mission aims to validate the functionality and robustness of the P-30 platform and its various subsystems in-orbit. These subsystems include On-Board Computer, TTC in UHF, Beacon in UHF, Attitude Control System with a Reaction Wheel, and Power Distribution Board.

 

[FalconSlayers]

 

[FalconSlayers]

 

[FalconSlayers]

 

[karn]

Actuated nozzles for a SRB, a first in India.

 

[Varoon2]

^^^
Very good achievement! Now, is a March launch feasible?

 

[FalconSlayers]

 

[FalconSlayers]

 

[Indrajit]

 

[TopWatcher]

How much spaceX taken time from starting to heavy rockets building ? how much skyroot will take time to reach commercial launch of heavy rockets ?

 

[Indrajit]

How much spaceX taken time from starting to heavy rockets building ? how much skyroot will take time to reach commercial launch of heavy rockets ?

SpaceX had plenty of funds plus an experienced work force. We have to be realistic in our expectations.

 

[Shuturmurg]

SpaceX had plenty of funds plus an experienced work force. We have to be realistic in our expectations.

True, SpaceX had access to best Aerospace engineering pool (US workforce, they hired many ex-Nasa people), also access to biggest capital market in world (US). What made them successful was being able to operate in startup mode and eradicate the bureaucracy prevalent in NASA and huge companies like Boeing.

 

[TopWatcher]

SpaceX had plenty of funds plus an experienced work force. We have to be realistic in our expectations.

But atleast now skyroot must able to fly pslv like rocket. SKyroot is private they also can hire ex-space engineers.

Everyone know space is high capital area. Skyroot must know about that. But something missing in skyroot.

 

[Indrajit]

But atleast now skyroot must able to fly pslv like rocket. SKyroot is private they also can hire ex-space engineers.

Everyone know space is high capital area. Skyroot must know about that. But something missing in skyroot.

These guys are ex-ISRO but lets be realistic- funds will always be an issue. I'm thrilled that there are so many private space companies in India but unless someone is successful in working on something absolutely new and which is disruptive, we have to keep expectations to a manageable level.

 

[FalconSlayers]

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Tamil Nadu creates history with India’s second privately developed rocket
Agnibaan SOrTeD, India’s first semi-cryogenic engine powered rocket launch, was developed in Tamil Nadu by a Chennai headquartered space start-up

The Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited will launch its first rocket Agnibaan Sub Orbital Technology Demonstrator from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota on March 22.

Tamil Nadu will witness history when one of its space start-ups launches its first rocket on March 22. The Chennai headquartered space start-up Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited will be launching its first rocket Agnibaan Sub Orbital Technology Demonstrator (SOrTeD) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre, in Andhra Pradesh’s Sriharikota.

There are several interesting facts about this particular launch - Agnibaan SOrTeD - will be India’s first launch from a private launchpad, India’s first semi-cryogenic engine powered rocket launch and the world’s first single piece 3D printed engine designed and built indigenously.

Founded in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM, and Satya Chakravarthy, Agnikul Cosmos became the first company in the country to sign an agreement with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under the IN-SPACe initiative to have access to the space agency’s expertise and its facilities to build Agnibaan in December 2020.

Srinath Ravichandran and Moin SPM are cofounders of the Tamil Nadu-based space start up. | Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Commenting on the launch, Mr. Chakravarthy, co-founder and advisor, Agnikul Cosmos, and professor at the Department of Aerospace Engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology, Madras, told The Hindu, “This would be India’s first liquid oxygen-kerosene rocket flight in India, from India’s first privately developed launchpad, in Sriharikota.”

“More importantly, we would be flying our patented world’s most integrated single piece 3D printed rocket,” he added.

He further explained, “This is a sub-orbital launch but it is not a sounding rocket. It has the full stack of closed loop feedback guidance and control with a gimballed thrust vector control. As such, this is the first private launch in India requiring a flight termination system and a safety radius from the launchpad calculated from some tens of thousands of simulations of worst case scenarios.”

“This mission attempts to validate the guidance, control, and navigation system, the launch release hold mechanism, the entire command sequence operated by the onboard computer, telemetry and tracking - all that goes with a full orbital flight except stage separation,” Mr. Chakravarthy explained. He pointed out that the next step post the mission would be post-flight analysis of all the subsystem performance. The immediate future plan is to get ready for the orbital flight.

TN’s space ecosystem is growing

Tamil Nadu has always played a crucial role in the space sector. Over the years, several companies and MSME’s from the State have contributed to the development of minor parts for several prestigious launches, including Chandrayaan-3. During a recent interaction with The Hindu on the State’s plans in the space sector, Sandeep Nanduri, Managing Director of Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation Limited (TIDCO), said, “There are numerous companies in Tamil Nadu who are part of the ISRO vendor base offering services in sectors such as design, R&D and simulation, material supply, propellants supply, sub system, mechanical and structural manufacturing, etc.”

According to details provided by TIDCO, there are several private sector entities operating like Agnikul, Data Patterns, L&T that have strong presence in the State. The details shared also mentioned, “Data Patterns has proven reliability of being a supplier to ISRO and has gradually expanded its role from sub-system manufacturer to complete satellite manufacturer. L&T has presence in Coimbatore and manufactures rocket motors for ISRO. AgniKul Cosmos Private Limited was incubated out of National Centre for Combustion R&D of IIT Madras.”

Mr. Nanduri also said that TIDCO is taking proactive steps by establishing two new space parks adjacent to the upcoming space port in Kulasekarapattinam. The first is dedicated to space-related manufacturing, catering to the needs of space organisations, and the second focuses on propellant production, crucial for rocket launches as well as related services.

Agnikul’s rocket is the second privately-developed rocket in India. In 2022, Vikram-S, India’s first privately-developed rocket, lifted off from the ISRO launchpad in Sriharikota. Developed by the Hyderabad-based start-up Skyroot Aerospace Private Limited, the 6-metre tall vehicle hit a peak altitude of 89.5 kilometres and then splashed into the Bay of Bengal about five minutes after the launch. This mission was titled Prarambh.

 

[Gessler]

Early morning tomorrow:

 

[Indx TechStyle]

Early morning tomorrow:

Apogee shows 8076 m.

Wasn't it supposed to be 20,000 m?

 

[AnantS]

Apogee shows 8076 m.
View attachment 245034

Wasn't it supposed to be 20,000 m?

yes that was i thought i read from previous post in this or agnikul thread. I got mighty impressed that this tiny rocket could achieve 20 km.