India’s second privately constructed rocket is launched by space firm Agnikul

In the nation’s second launch of a privately made rocket, Agnikul Cosmos of India launched its Agnibaan rocket for the first time on Thursday. It was propelled by the only rocket engine in India to employ both gas and liquid fuel.

Four times in the previous two months, technical difficulties had forced the cancellation of the Agnibaan’s inaugural flight. Tuesday’s launch was canceled five seconds before liftoff, which was the most recent cancelation.

The two-stage, customizable launch vehicle, which can carry a payload up to 300 kg (661 lb), was launched on Thursday. It reached an apogee, or maximum altitude, of 8,076 meters in two minutes before crashing into the water. The launch vehicle was intended to reach an orbital height of approximately 700 kilometers (435 miles).

“All the mission objectives of this controlled vertical ascent flight were met and performance was nominal,” the business stated.

The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), the country’s space agency, has not been able to successfully launch a rocket using a so-called “semi-cryogenic” engine.

Declared on social media platform X, “A major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realized through additive manufacturing,” was made by ISRO.

The purpose of Thursday’s suborbital flight was to test the new engine and components made using 3D printing.

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre (IN-SPACe) chairman, Pawan K. Goenka, praised the “historic moment” as well. The launch, according to the Indian Space Association (ISpA), would “bolster global confidence” in the nation’s private space industry.

In recent years, India’s prime minister, Narendra Modi, has pushed for the commercialization and privatization of the space industry.

In 2022, Skyroot, an Indian commercial space business, successfully launched its first rocket into space.

Established in 2017, Agnikul is a company that manages India’s first private launchpad and mission control centre. The company’s name is derived from the words for fire in Hindi and Sanskrit. ISRO runs all the other launchpads.