Agnikul closer to launch: Startup fires 3D-printed engine that will power space rocket
Agnikul Cosmos has fired its Agnite semi-cryogenic engine with thrust sweeps and a long-duration run. The test adds confidence in the 3D-printed engine as the company moves towards Mission-02.
Indian space startup Agnikul Cosmos has successfully fired its Agnite semi-cryogenic engine, bringing its Agnibaan rocket another step closer to its next major mission.
In an update shared by the company, Agnikul said it had conducted a series of thrust sweeps during the latest engine firing.
These tests are designed to understand how the engine behaves as its thrust is varied, an important capability for controlling the rocket during flight.
The company also said the engine was operated for a duration well beyond the maximum burn time of some of its ascent-phase engines. The long-duration firing is intended to provide additional confidence in the engine's performance and endurance.
The test also produced what engineers call Mach diamonds, the distinctive bright, repeating patterns visible in an exhaust plume when hot gases leave a rocket nozzle at supersonic speeds.
The engine being tested is Agnite, Agnikul's booster-stage semi-cryogenic engine. The company says the engine stands about one metre tall and is manufactured as a single-piece, fully 3D-printed engine.
Unlike conventional rocket engines that use complex turbomachinery to drive propellant into the combustion chamber, Agnite uses electric motor-driven pumps. This approach is intended to simplify the propulsion system while allowing precise control of propellant flow.
Agnite is being developed to power Agnibaan, Agnikul's orbital launch vehicle designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit.
The latest test comes as the company prepares for its next major flight milestone, which it refers to as Mission-02.
Agnikul previously made history in May 2024 when its Agnibaan SOrTeD mission lifted off from India's first privately operated
launchpad at Sriharikota, demonstrating several technologies including the company's 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine.
With the latest firing, Agnibaan's development is moving another step closer to an orbital mission, and Agnikul says Mission-02 is getting ever closer.
Indian space startup Agnikul Cosmos has successfully fired its Agnite semi-cryogenic engine, bringing its Agnibaan rocket another step closer to its next major mission.
In an update shared by the company, Agnikul said it had conducted a series of thrust sweeps during the latest engine firing.
These tests are designed to understand how the engine behaves as its thrust is varied, an important capability for controlling the rocket during flight.
The company also said the engine was operated for a duration well beyond the maximum burn time of some of its ascent-phase engines. The long-duration firing is intended to provide additional confidence in the engine's performance and endurance.
The test also produced what engineers call Mach diamonds, the distinctive bright, repeating patterns visible in an exhaust plume when hot gases leave a rocket nozzle at supersonic speeds.
The engine being tested is Agnite, Agnikul's booster-stage semi-cryogenic engine. The company says the engine stands about one metre tall and is manufactured as a single-piece, fully 3D-printed engine.
Unlike conventional rocket engines that use complex turbomachinery to drive propellant into the combustion chamber, Agnite uses electric motor-driven pumps. This approach is intended to simplify the propulsion system while allowing precise control of propellant flow.
Agnite is being developed to power Agnibaan, Agnikul's orbital launch vehicle designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit.
The latest test comes as the company prepares for its next major flight milestone, which it refers to as Mission-02.
Agnikul previously made history in May 2024 when its Agnibaan SOrTeD mission lifted off from India's first privately operated
launchpad at Sriharikota, demonstrating several technologies including the company's 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine.
With the latest firing, Agnibaan's development is moving another step closer to an orbital mission, and Agnikul says Mission-02 is getting ever closer.
Indian space startup Agnikul Cosmos has successfully fired its Agnite semi-cryogenic engine, bringing its Agnibaan rocket another step closer to its next major mission.
In an update shared by the company, Agnikul said it had conducted a series of thrust sweeps during the latest engine firing.
These tests are designed to understand how the engine behaves as its thrust is varied, an important capability for controlling the rocket during flight.
The company also said the engine was operated for a duration well beyond the maximum burn time of some of its ascent-phase engines. The long-duration firing is intended to provide additional confidence in the engine's performance and endurance.
The test also produced what engineers call Mach diamonds, the distinctive bright, repeating patterns visible in an exhaust plume when hot gases leave a rocket nozzle at supersonic speeds.
The engine being tested is Agnite, Agnikul's booster-stage semi-cryogenic engine. The company says the engine stands about one metre tall and is manufactured as a single-piece, fully 3D-printed engine.
Unlike conventional rocket engines that use complex turbomachinery to drive propellant into the combustion chamber, Agnite uses electric motor-driven pumps. This approach is intended to simplify the propulsion system while allowing precise control of propellant flow.
Agnite is being developed to power Agnibaan, Agnikul's orbital launch vehicle designed to carry small satellites into low Earth orbit.
The latest test comes as the company prepares for its next major flight milestone, which it refers to as Mission-02.
Agnikul previously made history in May 2024 when its Agnibaan SOrTeD mission lifted off from India's first privately operated
launchpad at Sriharikota, demonstrating several technologies including the company's 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine.
With the latest firing, Agnibaan's development is moving another step closer to an orbital mission, and Agnikul says Mission-02 is getting ever closer.
