New Delhi: Agnikul Cosmos on Thursday successfully launched the SOrTeD mission, a single-stage launch vehicle demonstration powered by a semi-cryogenic 3D-printed engine. This is a major achievement for India’s private space industry.
The mission which lasted for approximately two minutes, marked a major achievement for the company and India in the development of indigenous space technology. ISRO has congratulated the Chennai-based startup and has called the launch “a major milestone”.
ISRO on X wrote “Congratulations Agnikul Cosmos for the successful launch of the Agnibaan SoRTed-01 mission from their launch pad. A major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realised through additive manufacturing”.
Congratulations @AgnikulCosmos for the successful launch of the Agnibaan SoRTed-01 mission from their launch pad.
A major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realized through additive manufacturing.@INSPACeIND
— ISRO (@isro) May 30, 2024
Let us know all about the SOrTeD mission
1) The mission earlier was scheduled to be launched on April 7 but was postponed due to technical problems. It finally took off from India’s first private launchpad, ALP-01, located at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.
2) The mission featured a 6.2-meter-tall single-stage launch vehicle equipped with an elliptical nose cone, advanced avionics architecture and an in-house developed autopilot software.
3) The Agnilet engine which is the world’s first single piece 3d printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine powers the vehicle. The mission included a series of precise manoeuvres which also included a pitch-over manoeuver and wind biasing, before falling in the Bay of Bengal.
4) The successful launch of SOrTeD is an important step forward for Agnikul Cosmos, which is targeting the multi-billion dollar small satellite launch market.
5) The mission’s data will help calibrate the development of the Agniban launch vehicle, which is expected to be highly customisable and can carry a payload of 300 Kg to a 700 KM orbit.
