AgniKul Cosmos postpones maiden rocket launch due to 'technical issue'

AgniKul Cosmos, the IIT-Madras incubated startup, has postponed its maiden rocket launch due to a 'technical issue', the company said on Thursday.

The Chennai-headquartered company had originally planned to launch the mission 'Agnibaan SOrTeD' (Sub Orbital Technology Demonstrator) on March 22 by 7 am from its private launch pad located within the campus of ISRO at Sriharikota in neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.

"AgniKul is holding the launch out of an abundance of caution based on certain minor observations from the full countdown rehearsals last night. Will keep you all posted on the new date and time. Thanks for all the support. The event is cancelled for tomorrow, Friday, March 22, 2024", the company said in a social media post.

Through Friday's launch, AgniKul Cosmos wanted to showcase space transportation as being more accessible and economically efficient for customers through the orbital launch vehicle 'Agnibaan'.

An official release from the Press Information Bureau said, "The launch of Agnibaan SOrTeD Mission, scheduled at 7 am IST on March 22, has been postponed due to a technical issue. The launch date will be announced later."

As per plans, the inaugural flight would serve as a test flight, gathering crucial flight data and ensuring optimal functioning of systems.

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The Agnibaan SOrTeD mission is an innovative, single-stage Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator. It marks an important milestone by carrying the World's first single piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine, the company said.

The 6.2-metre rocket with a lift-off mass of 575 kg is equipped with sub-cooled Liquid Oxygen and Aviation Turbine Fuel as its propellants. After the lift-off, the rocket after travelling to an altitude of about 10 km would make a splash in the Bay of Bengal about 10 km away from the Eastern Coast, as per the mission schedule.

This is not the first such effort by a private entity. Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace was the first private space startup to launch its maiden rocket Vikram-S in 2022. It marked the entry of the private sector into the country's space ecosystem.