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 be launching its rocket from its launchpad in Sriharikota in Andhra Pradesh. The launchpad 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 Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) told IANS preferring anonymity.
“The company’s rocket is on its launchpad here. The company is looking for a launch sometime towards this month end,” an official of ISRO in Sriharikota told IANS not wanting to be quoted.
The rocket Agnibaan SOrTeD (SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator) is expected to fly between March 22-28.
The company on X just mentioned: “March 22 – 28, 2024.”
According to Agnikul, its rocket 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.
During 2024-25, the space missions lined up 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 are:
— PSLV C59: NSIL Primary Payload, SCOT, CGUSAT, LEAP-1
— LVM3 M5: NSIL Payload
— PSLV C62: PROBA-3
— PSLV N1: TDS-01
— SSLV S1: TBD, PARIKSHIT
— PSLV N2: TBD, Aadyah, DRISHTI, Sanskardhaam, DS P30 (2nos)
— SSLV S2: TBD, Azista60°
(Venkatachari Jagannathan can be reached at v.jagannathan@ians.in)
–IANS