Agnikul plans to launch sub-orbital mission in March-end

CHENNAI — Private rocket maker Agnikul Cosmos Private Ltd is planning a sub-orbital mission for its Agnibaan rocket sometime this month-end and is waiting for official permission, said officials in the space sector.

The company will launch its rocket from its launch pad in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launch pad is located inside Indian Space Research Organisation’s (ISRO) rocketport in Sriharikota.

“Agnikul’s application for the permission to launch its rocket in a suborbital flight is under our consideration,” a senior official of the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) told IANS preferring anonymity.

“The company’s rocket is on its launch pad here. The company is looking for a launch sometime towards this month-end,” an official of ISRO in Sriharikota told IANS, not wishing to be named.

The rocket Agnibaan SOrTeD (SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator) is expected to fly between March 22 and March 28.

The company just mentioned on X: “March 22 - 28, 2024.”

According to Agnikul, Agnibaan is a two-stage rocket with a capacity to carry up to 300 kg to a height of 700 km. The rocket engines are powered by liquid oxygen/kerosene.

Agnibaan can access both low and high-inclination orbits and is completely mobile - designed for accessing more than 10 launchports, the company said.

Agnikul Co-founder and CEO Srinath Ravichandran was not available for comments when contacted by IANS.

Incidentally, as per the launch manifesto issued by IN-SPACe earlier, the following space missions are slated before the end of this fiscal:

* AGNIBAAN-SORTeD (Suborbital mission) – Agnikul Cosmos

* SSLV D3/ ISRO Primary Payload, Space Rickshaw and IIT-M Satellite.

The space missions lined up in 2024-25 are:

* ISRO/User-funded Space Missions:

PSLV C60: ISRO Payload & POEM-4

GSLV F15/ ISRO Payload

PSLV C61/ ISRO Payload

GSLV F16 /ISRO Payload

PSLV C63/ISRO Payloads

GSLV F17 / ISRO payload

* Commercial space missions:

PSLV C59: NSIL Primary Payload, SCOT, CGUSAT, LEAP-1

LVM3 M5: NSIL Payload

PSLV C62: PROBA-3