Chennai (Tamil Nadu): IIT Madras-based Space Tech start-up, Agnikul unveiled its full-scale second-stage engine – Agnilet at the International Astronautical Congress (IAC) and at the World Expo in Dubai. Agnikul inked multiple agreements with various stakeholders in the event which will directly catalyze its efforts of launching in 2022. Agnilet is the world’s first single-piece 3D printed engine fully designed and manufactured in India and was successfully test-fired in early 2021 by Agnikul. Agnikul had an opportunity to showcase this engine at IAC 2021 which is the most prestigious space tech gathering in the world. Speaking about IAC & revealing Agnilet there, Moin SPM, Co-founder & COO, Agnikul, said, “The unveiling of Agnikul’s engine at a global stage such as the IAC, allowed us to showcase the capabilities of Indian space tech startups to the international community and allowed us to forge agreements with multiple commercial players such as NPC Spacemind and Precious Payload. We were humbled and excited to present ourselves in the India Pavilion of the Dubai World Expo 2021 with 194 countries participating.” The company signed an MoU with NPC Spacemind to provide end-to-end solutions for its customers as NPC manufactures advanced state-of-the-art satellite subsystems and small satellites deployers. NPC Spacemind’s, Niccolo Benini, Business Development Manager, NPC Italy said, “We are thrilled to announce the signature of MoU with Agnikul, a company focusing on the design of modular launch vehicles exceptionally based on customer’s requirements. This MoU poses the bases for future collaborations between NPC and Agnikul. Looking forward to launching with Agnikul soon.” Additionally, an agreement between Precious Payload was signed to get global access to customers. “We have been tracking several interesting small satellite launch projects, and Agnikul is one of them. We are happy to add Agnibaan, a customizable and scalable rocket, to our launch schedule and put this NewSpace team in front of our international customers,” said CEO and Co-founder of Precious Payload, Andrew Maximov. Agnikul also signed an agreement with India-based Asaco which will help the startup realise various structural subsystems of Agnibaan. Speaking about the agreement Rajesh Kothapalli, CEO, ASACO said, “This endeavour is a combination of ASACO’s decades of experience in machining complex assemblies and Agnikul’s bold vision for the next chapter in Indian space. We are proud to support a privately funded indigenous spacecraft and prove to the world that India has the capability to deliver on its vision.” Founded in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM & Prof. SR Chakravarthy (from IIT Madras), Agnikul is building India’s first private small satellite launch vehicle – Agnibaan, a rocket that enables plug-and-play configuration and is capable of carrying up to 100 kg of payload to low Earth orbits. This on-demand rocket can be fully customized to the customer’s needs at an affordable cost. Agnikul’s diverse team of rocket scientists, engineers, and investors are working on the vision of making space accessible and affordable. The IIT Madras incubated start-up is looking to complete its first mission sometime next year. In December 2020, Agnikul 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.
