Chennai headquartered space startup Agnikul Cosmos has postponed its test launch of the “AGNIBAAN SOrTeD” (Sub Orbital Technology Demonstrator) that was scheduled for March 22, 2024. While the exact reason for postponing was not known immediately, Agnikul Cosmos on X (formerly Twitter) said, “Holding our launch out of an abundance of caution based on certain minor observations from the full countdown rehearsals last night. Will keep you all posted on the new date and time. Thanks a lot for all the support that has been pouring in.”
A communication from the Press Information Bureau said: “The launch of ‘AGNIBAAN SOrTeD’ Mission, scheduled at 07:00 hrs IST, on 22 March 2024, has been postponed due to technical issue. The launch date will be announced later.”
Agnikul Cosmos Private Limited was incubated at the Indian Institute of Technology – Madras (IIT-Madras). It builds dedicated, fully customizable & transportable launch vehicles for small satellites to Low Earth Orbits (LEO) called Agnibaan. The launch vehicle- Agnibaan is powered by a single-piece 3D-printed engine that can be made in 72 hours without any human intervention. It is compatible with the mobile launchpad called “Dhanush” which makes the launch location-agnostic and, most importantly, it could be configured to fly with 4/5/6/7 which makes the launch cost the same across the spectrum of mass - 30 kg - 300 kg.
