IIT Madras startup 3D-prints and tests a rocket engine
Agnikul Cosmos, a startup from IIT Madras, just pulled off something huge: they 3-D-printed and test-fired their largest single-piece rocket engine, Agnite.
The company says its engines can now be manufactured in just seven days, compared with six to seven months for traditional engines.
The whole thing happened at their facility in Tamil Nadu.
Agnikul is backed by HDFC Bank
CEO Srinath Ravichandran shared that building the engine as one piece means no welding or assembly hassles, so there are fewer things that can go wrong.
Agnikul wants to launch rockets every 10 days once they're up to speed and is already talking with satellite operators about powering future space tech like data centers and manufacturing in orbit.
The startup has solid backing too, with support from HDFC Bank and others.