India’s First Private Space Vehicle Launchpad Flashcards
Why in news?
Recently, Chennai-based space tech startup Agnikul Cosmos inaugurated India’s first private space vehicle launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) in Sriharikota.
It was executed in support of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and IN-SPACe (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center).
What is Agnikul’s Launchpad Facility?
About:
The facility has two parts: the Agnikul launchpad and the Agnikul mission control centre, which are four kilometres apart.
The launchpad has been designed to accommodate and support liquid stage-controlled launches.
Agnikul Cosmos is planning to launch its Agnibaan rocket from this launchpad.
Significance:
The launchpad is specifically built to address the need for ISRO’s range operations team to monitor key flight safety parameters during launches.
Additionally, it has the ability to share data and other critical information with ISRO’s Mission Control Center.
What is Agnibaan?
Agnibaan is a two-stage launch vehicle that is capable of taking payloads of up to 100 kilograms to a low-earth orbit around 700 kilometres from the surface of the Earth.
It will be powered by the company’s 3D-printed Agnilet engines.
Agnilet is the world’s first single-piece 3-D printed engine fully designed and manufactured in India and was successfully test-fired in early 2021, making Agnikul the first company in the country to test its engines at ISRO.
The Agnilet rocket is a “semi-cryogenic” engine that uses a mixture of liquid kerosene and supercold liquid oxygen to propel itself.
The engine is very complex and it functions at very high temperatures.
