Reusable Rocket Funding
India Backs Agnikul With ₹200 Crore For Reusable Rocket Development
Anonymous
India’s Technology Development Board, under the Department of Science and Technology, has agreed to provide Chennai-based Agnikul Cosmos ₹200 crore through the Research, Development and Innovation Fund to develop a reusable version of its Agnibaan launch vehicle. The project aims to advance the technology from readiness level 4 to level 8 and move beyond recovering only a rocket’s first stage toward full-system reusability. The proposed design includes a lightweight upper stage and a semi-cryogenic propulsion system capable of deep throttling and restarting, supporting orbital insertion, controlled descent and recovery. The goal is to enable more frequent launches while lowering manufacturing and launch costs and reducing space debris. Agnikul’s prior work includes its Agnibaan orbital-class rocket and Agnilet, a single-piece, 3D-printed engine.
Key Points
1
The ₹200-crore support will be provided through optionally convertible debentures (OCD), rather than as a direct grant.
2
TDB had previously supported Agnikul’s development and commercialisation of a modular, configurable launch vehicle for small-satellite missions.
3
TDB Secretary Rajesh Kumar Pathak said the RDI Fund is backing ambitious indigenous technologies that need sustained investment to progress from advanced development stages toward deployment.
Sentiment
Mostly PositiveNEGATIVENEUTRALPOSITIVE
Publishers
6
Articles
6
Reach
12
Topics
A
AnonymousAuthor
