India gets its first private rocket launchpad and mission control centre
isro launchpad
In what can be regarded as a great leap for the Indian space sector, a private firm has inaugurated its own rocket launch pad and mission control centre. This latest development from Chennai-based rocket company Agnikul Cosmos will enable them to launch their own rockets into space. This private facility, also India’s first such, is located within India’s existing and lone spaceport, the Satish Dhawan Space Centre at Sriharikota.
The new facility has been inaugurated on Monday, by the Chairman, of ISRO, Dr S. Somanath, senior officials from ISRO and the Agnikul team. It has been designed by Agnikul and executed with support from IN-SPACe (the government entity which supports and promotes private space firms in India). This facility comprises two sections - Agnikul Launchpad (ALP) and Agnikul Mission Control Centre(AMCC).
According to Agnikul, all critical systems connecting these two sections - which are 4 km away from each other are redundant to ensure 100 per centoperationality during the countdown. The Launchpad is built specifically keeping in mind the ability to support liquid-stage controlled launches, while also addressing the need for ISRO’s range operations team to monitor key flight safety parameters during launches. Additionally, it has the ability to, as necessary share data and other critical information with ISRO’s mission control centre.
Agnikul’s first launch will be a controlled & guided mission having a vertical launch andwill happen from this launchpad. The mission would be a technology demonstrator that will mirror Agnikul’s orbital launch but at a reduced scale. The company'sAgnibaan rocket is a highly customisable, 2-stage launch vehicle, capable of taking up to 100 kg payload to orbits around 700 km high (low Earth orbits) andenables plug-and-play configuration. Agnilet is the world's first single-piece 3D printed engine fully designed and manufactured in India and was successfully test-fired in early 2021 & became the first company in the country to test its engines at ISRO.
Speaking at the inauguration event,Secretary, Dept. of Space and Chairman, ISRO, Dr S Somanathsaid "The first exclusive launch pad for a private launch vehicle has come up at Satish Dhawan Space Center (SDSC). Now India can travel to space from one more space platform. Thanks to Agnikul."
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Commenting about their new facility,Srinath Ravichandran, Co-founder & CEO, Agnikulsaid, "The ability to launch from our own launchpad while still working with ISRO’s launch operations teams is a privilege that we have been granted by ISRO & IN-SPACe and I am deeply grateful to them for the same. It is dream come true for all of us at Agnikul to launch our vehicles from a facility we have designed and built ourselves."
Over the last 60 years, the most sophisticated aspects of India’s space programme (such as building and launching rockets, satellites, and operating support facilities) have been the monopoly of India’s Government-run space agency. However, the space sector reforms rolled out by the Indian Government in 2020, permitted private companies to delve into this niche sector and carry out business activities.
In line with this, India has witnessed a multiplication of start-ups in the space sector, recently India’s first privately built rocket was launched into the upper atmosphere, and satellites built by Indian firms were launched on India’s workhorse PSLV rocket (built and operated by the Government-run space agency).
The announcement from Agnikul takes this further, as it would be the fifth operational rocket Launchpad in India. ISRO operates two main launchpads in Sriharikota meant for its large orbital rockets and has a Sounding rocket complex for its smaller & sub-orbital rockets. ISRO’s lead facility in Kerala’s Thiruvananthapuram also has a Launchpad for small-sounding (sub-orbital) rockets.In addition to this, the Indian Government is building another spaceport for small orbital rockets, closer to the tip of the Indian peninsula, at Kulasekarapattinam in Tamil Nadu.
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