3D Printing
News Videos Newsletter Contact us
Home / News / India’s AM Rocket Factory Opens its Doors
revopoint

India’s AM Rocket Factory Opens its Doors

July 14, 2022

Indian aerospace engineering company Agnikul Cosmos has opened their first rocket printing factory at IIT Madras Research Park, Chennai.

“Rocket Factory-1” is intended to churn out two rocket engines per week with their EOS printers and other machinery. This will allow the production of one complete launch vehicle per month.

The factory contains all the tooling and hardware required to produce the whole engine in the same facility.

Agnibaan rocket
Agnibaan rocket on Dhanush mobile launcher. (Image credit: Agnikul Cosmos)

The 18m tall, 1.3m diameter, three-stage rocket is named Agnibaan, which means “arrow of fire”, and is capable of hoisting a 100 kg satellite into a 700 km orbit.

According to the company website, the combustion section of the first stage will be 100% 3D printed. Looking at the image of their printed rocket motor below, it appears that this includes the injector plate, combustion chamber, cooling channels, and throat section.

Printed Agnite motor
Printed Agnite motor (Image credit: Agnikul Cosmos)

The printed engines are named as the “Agnite” and the first stage of the launch vehicle is powered by 7x printed Agnite engines optimized for sea level.

The second stage uses Agnite engines that are optimized for vacuum operating conditions. An optional baby stage can be fitted in the third stage under the payload fairing if required.

The company has also printed portions of the LOX pump, which is powered by an electric motor. You can see more about that in the video below.

The rocket is designed to be launched from multiple sites and so comes equipped with a mobile launcher dubbed “Dhanush”, which means “celestial bow”- a perfect moniker for a device intended to launch fiery arrows towards the heavens.

“This is a milestone for us as we go from R&D phase into core manufacturing with the opening of this facility, and begin productionizing the launch vehicle engine making. We have a lot of inbound interest [for launches] from global quarters going up to 2024,” said Agnikul co-founder Srinath Ravichandran.

“At full scale, the facility will have around 30-35 people working on various processes and machinery, and we have already staffed the factory with over 90% staff”.

Currently Agnikul and other Indian rocket builders are not permitted to utilize the country’s national space agency assets to launch rockets. However, India is set to introduce new space policies in the coming weeks that will permit private entities such as Agnikul to launch from ISRO facilities. Agnikul had signed an agreement in advance with Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) under the IN-SPACe initiative to have access to ISRO facilities.

This move to permit these partnerships between startups and the agency has been inspired by seeing the success of US companies (such as SpaceX) similarly using NASA infrastructure for launches.

It is planned to offload engineering and manufacturing work from ISRO to local private entities, so ISRO can focus their efforts on research.

Related Story
Indian Partnership Yields Country’s First AM Aero Engine Part
Share:
WhatsApp Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Buffer Reddit E-mail
About the author | Phillip Keane
Phillip is an aerospace engineer from UK. He is a graduate of Coventry University (UK), International Space University (France) and Nanyang Technological University (Singapore), where he studied Advanced Manufacturing at the Singapore Centre for 3D Printing.
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Latest posts

New 3D-Printing Technique Creates Dual-Material Objects from Single Resin

Researchers have developed a new Vat photopolymerization technique that creates both permanent objects and dissolvable supports in a single process. According to a... read more »

Materials
New 3D-Printing Technique Creates Dual-Material Objects from Single Resin

Northumbria Receives EU Funding for Sustainable 3D-Printed Construction Research

Northumbria University has received a Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions (MSCA) Fellowship worth over a quarter million euros to research low-carbon, 3D-printed construction materials. The... read more »

Construction
Northumbria Receives EU Funding for Sustainable 3D-Printed Construction Research

3D-Printed Sports Bra Could Help Olympic Star Break Historic Athletics Record

Nike has developed a new 3D-printed sports bra called the FlyWeb Bra for runner Faith Kipyegon's attempt to break the 4-minute mile barrier.... read more »

News
3D-Printed Sports Bra Could Help Olympic Star Break Historic Athletics Record

Vietnam Emerges in High-Tech Medicine as Vinmec Pioneers 3D-Printed Breakthroughs

Across pediatric, adult, and geriatric cases, Vietnam’s Vinmec Healthcare System's implementation of 3D printing solutions has significantly transformed patient outcomes, replacing disability with... read more »

Medical
Vietnam Emerges in High-Tech Medicine as Vinmec Pioneers 3D-Printed Breakthroughs

Johns Hopkins APL Helps Navy Overcome Metal 3D Printing Reliability Concerns

Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) are working with the Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) to address reliability concerns with... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Johns Hopkins APL Helps Navy Overcome Metal 3D Printing Reliability Concerns

New 3D Printing Technique Creates Glass Objects at Low Temperatures

Researchers at MIT Lincoln Laboratory have developed a new low-temperature process for 3D printing glass objects. This method creates complex glass structures without... read more »

News
New 3D Printing Technique Creates Glass Objects at Low Temperatures

Farsoon Launches High-Volume Copper Alloy 3D Printing System FS621M-Cu

Farsoon has developed a specialized 3D printing system for producing large copper alloy components for aerospace applications. The company's new FS621M-Cu system, built... read more »

3D Printing Metal
Farsoon Launches High-Volume Copper Alloy 3D Printing System FS621M-Cu

Pratt & Whitney Tests 3D Printed Rotating Part for TJ150 Engine

Pratt & Whitney has completed a series of tests on its 3D printed TJ150 turbine wheel. The company, an RTX business, reports the... read more »

Aerospace
Pratt & Whitney Tests 3D Printed Rotating Part for TJ150 Engine

University of Bristol Researchers are Testing 3D-Printed Structures for Earthquake Resistance

University of Bristol researchers are testing 3D-printed structures for earthquake resistance using a specialized shaking table. The experiment, conducted at the university's Soil... read more »

Construction
University of Bristol Researchers are Testing 3D-Printed Structures for Earthquake Resistance

3D Printing Technology Tested on Historic Bridge in Great Barrington as Potential Solution for Aging Infrastructure

Researchers from UMass Amherst and MIT have successfully applied 3D printing technology to repair a bridge in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. The test utilized... read more »

3D Printing Metal
3D Printing Technology Tested on Historic Bridge in Great Barrington as Potential Solution for Aging Infrastructure

Social

  • Facebook Facebook 3D Printing
  • Linkedin Linkedin 3D Printing
Join our newsletter

Our newsletter is free & you can unsubscribe any time.

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Fashion
  • Medical
  • Military
  • QIDI Plus4

    • - Print size: 305 x 305 x 280 mm
    • - print temperature of 370°C
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech Q1 Pro

    • - Print size: 245 x 245 x 245 mm
    • - 600mm/s max speed
    More details »
    $449.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now
  • Snapmaker Artisan Premium 3-in-1

    • - Print size: 400 x 400 x 400 mm
    • - comes with enclosure
    More details »
    $2,999.00 Snapmaker
    Buy Now
  • QIDI Tech X-Max 3

    • - Print size: 325 x 325 x 315 mm
    • - fully enclosed
    More details »
    $799.00 QIDI Store
    Buy Now

Company Information

  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing

Blog

  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal

Featured Reviews

  • Anycubic Photon Mono M5s
  • Creality Ender 5 S1
  • The Mole 3D Scanner
  • Flashforge Creator 3 Pro

Featured Industries

  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
2025 — Strikwerda en Dehue
  • Home
  • Join our mailing list
  • Contact us
Blog
  • Latest News
  • Use Cases
  • Reviews
  • 3D Printers
  • 3D Printing Metal
Featured Industries
  • Automotive
  • Aerospace
  • Construction
  • Dental
  • Environmental
  • Electronics
  • Medical
  • Military
  • Fashion
  • Art
Company Information
  • What is 3D Printing?
  • Contact us
  • Join our mailing list
  • Advertise with us
  • Media Kit
  • Nederland 3D Printing