Chennai Spacetech Startup Agnikul Test Fires World’s First 3D-Printed Rocket Engine

Space tech startup Agnikul Cosmos recently announced it's successfull test fired the world’s first 3D-printed rocket engine or higher stage semi-cryogenic rocket engine called Agnilet.

Cofounder Srinath Ravichandran said that Agnilet is expected to be used in the second stage of Agnikul’s launch vehicle Agniban. The vehicle has been designed to carry payloads up to 100 kg to low Earth orbits up to 700 km with a plug-and-play engine configuration. The company is planning to launch this by the end of 2022.

Agnikul operates out of the National Centre for Combustion Research at IIT Chennai. Since 2018, the company has claimed to be testing its 3D engines on a smaller scale. In the coming months, the company is planning to do a full-scale test of its 3D rocket.