New Delhi: Agnikul Cosmos, a leading private sector space-tech player on September 23 announced the commissioning of a state-of-the-art additive manufacturing facility dedicated to aerospace and rocket systems.
Covering design, simulation, printing, post-processing, and finishing to enhance quality, reliability, and supply chain resilience, the facility introduces a fully integrated ecosystem while lowering the cost of building for space by 50 per cent.
The facility also enables 3D printing of aerospace and rocket components up to one metre in height for the first time in India. This makes it possible to produce parts that were previously considered difficult for additive manufacturing. Agnikul can now deliver fully finished, flight-ready hardware within a few days, significantly accelerating development timelines while expanding what can be achieved through 3D printing.
According to Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO, Agnikul was started with the goal of making space available to everyone. One way to do that is to build capability that allows us to advance rocket manufacturing with precision while also focusing on quality.
“By developing not just printing capacity but also full-scale machines in-house, we are equipping ourselves to build space transportation systems faster, bringing us one step closer to taking Agnikul’s innovations and our customers to space,” he added.
The printing capacity is complemented by an indigenously designed and developed de-powdering machine – an important post-processing system that ensures flawless surface finish and space-grade quality on additively manufactured parts. Designed and developed in-house, the machine reduces external dependencies and ensures consistent quality.
Moin SPM, co-founder and chief operating officer, Agnikul Cosmos, said, “Our goal has always been to make access to space reliable and cost-effective. With this facility in place, we are advancing our own launch readiness and also helping shape the foundation for a self-sustaining and globally competitive space industry in India.”
Already holding a US patent for single-piece 3D-printed rocket engines, Agnikul’s facility will allow the company to print engines measuring one metre and deliver seven times the thrust of its earlier designs.
With the commissioning of the facility, the company can manufacture these engines in just days, and that too in-house – accelerating development cycles and enabling rapid innovation at scale. Beyond its immediate applications for Agnikul’s rocket programme, this capability represents a long-term investment in India’s space ecosystem, enabling the country to deliver on global benchmarks of quality, speed, and affordability.
Backed by leading global and domestic investors, including Celesta Capital, Rocketship.vc, Artha Venture Fund, Artha Select Fund, Mayfield India, Pi Ventures, and Speciale Invest, with a total capital raise of $45 million to date, Agnikul last year had created history in the space sector. Agnikul has to its credit – the first launch from a private launchpad and launching a single-stage technology demonstrator rocket, Agnibaan SOrTeD, from Shriharikota using a combination of gas and liquid fuel.
Agnikul, founded in 2017 by Srinath Ravichandran, Moin SPM and S R Chakravarthy, a professor from IIT Madras, became the first Indian firm to sign an agreement with ISRO in December 2020 – facilitated under the IN-SPACe initiative, granting Agnikul unprecedented access to ISRO’s expertise and cutting-edge facilities.
