Launch of India's first privately constructed launchpad
space technology startup On Monday, Agnikul announced that it had established the country's first launchpad that was created and run by a private company. S Somanath, the chairman of Isro, opened the facility in Sriharikota on November 25.
The Agnikul launchpad (ALP) and the Agnikul mission control centre are the two components of the facility, which was planned by Agnikul and built with assistance from Isro and the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Center (IN-SPACe) (AMCC).
Critical systems that link the two parts, which are 4 km apart, are redundant to assure complete operation during the countdown. The launchpad was specifically designed with the capacity to support liquid stage controlled launches, as well as the need for Isro's range operations team to keep an eye on important flight safety parameters while launches are underway, according to a statement from Agnikul.
Additionally, it has the capability of communicating with Isro's mission control centre to exchange data and other crucial information as needed.
This launchpad will be used by Agnikul for its inaugural launch, which will be a vertical, controlled-and-guided mission powered by its unique engine. The mission would be a technical demonstration that would be less in scope than Agnikul's orbital launch. "Agnibaan is a highly adaptable, two-stage launch vehicle that can carry up to 100 kg of cargo into low Earth orbits that are 700 km high and supports plug-and-play configuration. Agnilet is the first single-piece 3D-printed engine in the world that is entirely designed and produced in India. It was successfully test-fired in early 2021, and the company said it was the first in the nation to test its engines at Isro.
According to Somanath, the Satish Dhawan Space Center now has the first dedicated launchpad for a private launch vehicle.
"Now India has another space platform from which to launch into space. The opportunity to launch from our own launchpad while still collaborating with Isro's launch operations teams is a privilege that we have been granted by Isro and IN-SPACe, said Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of Agnikul.
"I owe them a huge debt of gratitude for the same. For everyone at Agnikul, being able to launch our spacecraft from a facility we created ourselves is a dream come true, he said.
"We never imagined having Agnikul's launchpad (ALP) inside Sriharikota for our launches, and this has been made possible only with the consistent support of Isro and IN-SPACe," said Moin SPM, co-founder of Agnikul. The Department of Space's recent reforms effectively fulfil everyone's aspiration to travel to space.
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