AgniKul Cosmos plans reusable rocket recovery in early 2027
AgniKul Cosmos, a Chennai startup, is working on reusable rockets to make satellite launches more affordable.
Its next big step is launching a commercial payload and then recovering the rocket's lower stage for reuse in early 2027.
Co-founder and CEO Srinath Ravichandran shared that the architecture for the reusable launch vehicle is almost frozen and that all the pieces of the tech needed for reusability are in place and will now have to be sequenced exactly.
AgniKul targets 25 launches through reuse
The rocket's lower stage will land vertically on a barge in the Bay of Bengal after launching from Sriharikota.
AgniKul aims to build around five rockets and do about 25 launches in total through refurbishment and reuse, cutting costs and boosting efficiency.
If its second mission succeeds, it could join global players like SpaceX in the private space race.
The team uses advanced 3-D printing at IIT Madras Research Park to make semi-cryogenic engines in just three days, with testing managed by a young team and supported by former ISRO scientists as advisors at IIT Madras's discovery campus.