Latest news with #AgnikulCosmos
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Indian space startup Agnikul builds world's largest single-piece 3D-printed Inconel rocket engine, granted a patent in US
Indian space startup Agnikul Cosmos has achieved a significant milestone by building the world's largest single-piece 3D-printed Inconel rocket engine made from Inconel, a high-performance superalloy known for its strength and heat resistance. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now This breakthrough engine, about a meter long, is printed entirely as one integrated component without any welds, joints, or fasteners from fuel entry to plume exit. Such an innovation drastically reduces manufacturing complexity, production time, and potential failure points, positioning Agnikul at the forefront of additive manufacturing in rocketry. Further elevating their accomplishment, Agnikul has been granted a US patent for the design and manufacturing process of this single-piece rocket engine. Being granted a patent in the US means that Agnikul holds exclusive legal rights to their invention within one of the world's largest and most competitive markets, preventing others from making, using, or selling the patented technology without permission. This patent marks a rare achievement for an Indian-origin design, reflecting the startup's growing influence in global space technology and reinforcing India's position in the next-generation rocket manufacturing landscape. Agnikul revolutionising rocket manufacturing with single-piece 3D printing Agnikul Cosmos' engine represents a major leap in aerospace engineering, leveraging additive manufacturing technology to print a complete rocket engine as a single piece. This method eliminates the need for traditional assembly processes, which often involve complex welding and joining of multiple parts. The use of Inconel, a nickel-chromium-based superalloy, ensures that the engine can withstand the extreme temperatures and pressures encountered during rocket launches. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now The scale and complexity of this engine surpass earlier models, allowing more efficient fluid flow and improved durability. This fully integrated manufacturing approach cuts down production time by over 60% and reduces weight, enhancing the overall performance and cost-effectiveness of rockets. Agnikul's innovation is a clear example of how advanced 3D printing is revolutionizing space technology, making rocket production faster, safer, and more scalable. Strategic impact and support from Indian space ecosystem The US patent granted to Agnikul Cosmos is a significant intellectual property victory that underscores the originality and technical sophistication of their design. The patent provides legal protection in a highly competitive global market historically dominated by established aerospace giants. This milestone strengthens India's position in the private space sector and signals growing confidence in indigenous technologies. Agnikul's progress is supported by collaborations with key Indian space institutions, including and INSPACe, as well as partnerships with industry leaders like Wipro 3D. Government backing through agencies like the Department of Science and Technology (DST) and the Technology Development Board (TDB) has been instrumental in fostering innovation. This collective effort is driving India's emergence as a leader in next-generation rocket propulsion and space exploration technologies.
Time of India
5 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Tuticorin to get three defence, space tech investments worth more than 5,600cr
Chennai: Tuticorin district is all set to get new investments totalling 5,600 crore in defence and space tech from Sakthi Group and startups such as Agnikul Cosmos and Etheral Exploration Guild that will also create more than 3,000 jobs. Sources in the state govt said the biggest project involves Sakthi Group, which will set up a manufacturing-cum-proof testing facility for ammunition and propellants in Tuticorin with a committed investment of 5,000 crore. This project will employ around 2,000 people. "Establishment of this facility will augment the defence sector production in Tuticorin district," said a govt source. The second project is from Ethereal Exploration Guild, a space tech startup which will be setting up a manufacturing and testing facility for medium lift rocket engine in Tuticorin. You Can Also Check: Chennai AQI | Weather in Chennai | Bank Holidays in Chennai | Public Holidays in Chennai The project will involve an investment of 519 crore and an employment commitment of around 582 jobs. The third project is also from a startup. Agnikul Cosmos will invest 121 crore with a projection of creating 525 jobs. The company will establsish a facility for manufacturing and testing of rocket launch vehicles for satellites in Tuticorin. Sources said these three big investments will help establish Tuticorin's credentials as TN's space tech cluster. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Access all TV channels anywhere, anytime Techno Mag Learn More Undo In its recently released space tech policy, the state govt had set a target of attracting 10,000 crore investment in the space sector in the next five years and create direct and indirect employment for nearly 10,000 people. The state is also working towards creating a skilled talent pool for the space sector in the next five years. Given that the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is setting up India's second spaceport in Kulasekarapattinam, Tuticorin is ideally placed to become a defence and space tech hub. Get the latest lifestyle updates on Times of India, along with Friendship Day wishes , messages and quotes !
Indian Express
21-06-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
Spacetech has arrived, and it's time for take-off: Vishesh Rajaram, co-founder, Speciale Invest
Vishesh Rajaram is the co-founder of Speciale Invest, a venture capital firm investing in deep tech, with a particular emphasis on spacetech. Speciale Invest is known for its early and consistent bets on Indian spacetech startups, such as Agnikul Cosmos, Astrogate Labs, GalaxEye, Kawa Space, and InspeCity. Its portfolio spans satellites, launch vehicles, and space infrastructure, supporting startups across upstream (hardware, launch vehicles, satellites) and downstream (data analytics, communication) applications. Vishesh began his career as a corporate banker with ICICI Bank before moving to Ventureast, an early-stage and growth-stage fund, as a Principal.. He is a qualified Chartered Accountant and holds an MBA from the Indian School of Business. Vishesh spoke to on the opportunities for spacetech startups in India, why the timing is right for investing in the sector, the unique problems that spacetech could solve, and ideas that failed to catch fire. Edited excerpts: Vishesh Rajaram: Let me give you a background. The venture capital world has gone through a wave of cloud, SaaS, mobile penetration, e-commerce, and fintech. They did not see the necessity of immersing themselves in the world of science and deep tech. So much was already going on that one did not break his head over deep tech. But we need to remember that India was essentially a manufacturing nation. We made motorcycles and cars, and we exported them. We also had the expertise of exporting precision aerospace components. You must understand that all the big conglomerates that made wealth between 1960 and 2000 were not into IT services, they were not into software. They were all traditional manufacturing companies. We do not recognise it, but we have a talent for manufacturing. The missing element was capital. We started our fund in 2017, and our focus was to invest in IP-rich companies, with differentiated tech and product, and spacetech is one of our focus areas. Others are energy, health, and advanced manufacturing. If you are selling milk or eggs, you can test it in three months, but if you are building a rocket, it will take you three years. So the challenge about science and deep tech investments is that they need a gestation period. The venture ecosystem has historically avoided such businesses. They do software, e-commerce, and fintech. They prefer a two- to three-year gestation period and see it as not risky. Spacetech is challenging because it presents the sort of risk that, traditionally, VCs in the country have not taken. However, the time is now right for deep tech investments. This is partly due to geopolitics and partly because of India's global positioning. It is also because the rest of the world is beginning to buy technology from us. Fifteen years ago, this was not the case. No one said they want to buy technology or put their satellite on our rockets. But that has changed. Today, India's credibility is significantly more than it was 15 to 20 years ago. Vishesh Rajaram: We are a very early-stage investor. When we invest, it is mostly at a business plan stage, and maybe some early prototype is available. One, we look at the team. What has the team done? What insights do they carry? What do they know that other people don't know? That allows them to go further and do different things. We pay a lot of attention to what it is that the team is doing that nobody else is, or what is very hard for other people to do. And therefore, if you are successful, you will end up being very monopolistic. We also care a lot about the velocity of market growth. All markets are large, but if the market is not growing, and if there are no strong pain points, why will someone give a chance to a small startup? Only if the pain is very deep and there is no solution, is there an opportunity for a startup. Then, even if the startup does not have a full product, we say, come and try it out. Let us make something work and run it as an experiment. Vishesh Rajaram: What most of us do not remember is that India was among the four or five space pioneers, which showed that we had a lot of talent, experience, and capability on the spacetech front. The question then was: Will the market grow? Twenty years ago, the spacetech market was dependent on the government, the defence industry, and university research. Commercial applications were not available since the cost of going to space and the cost of building anything in space was very expensive. Over the last 10 years, thanks to private efforts, there has been a consistent decline in the cost of launching a satellite and a significant decline in the cost of manufacturing a satellite. So suddenly, what was costing $50 million now costs $2 million. The economics of space have changed. There is a strong realisation that with the kind of data that is collected on Earth from space, we can make good business decisions around weather, insurance, defence, and agriculture. Therefore, there's an opportunity for this economy to begin and grow. At the time we began investing, this was only the tip of the iceberg. The sector was just beginning to heat up. Normally, in one sector, there's only one market variable that is moving. In this, there were two. The cost of going to space and the cost of making the satellite were going down. We had multiple things working in our favour. Therefore, for us, it was a sitting duck. Vishesh Rajaram: We have made six investments. There is Agnikul Cosmos, a company that uses 3D printing tech to take satellites to space. It takes six months to make a rocket. They said we would do it in two weeks, and they did it. That's our differentiator. Agnikul aims to provide on-demand launches for micro and nanosatellites, democratising access to space through affordable small satellite launch vehicles. There is GalaxEye Space, which is a satellite constellation company. They are developing India's first multi-sensor imaging satellites, combining synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and optical data to deliver high-resolution, all-weather imagery. The company aims to provide insights for industries like agriculture, urban planning, defence, and environmental monitoring. It would also contribute to disaster management and maritime surveillance, among other sectors. There is Astrogate Labs with a focus on space satellite is launched using a rocket, and once it is in space, it collects information. It still needs to send the information to Earth. But today, space communication happens on radio frequency, which is slow and expensive. Astrogate works on laser communications, thereby increasing the speed of communication and reducing its cost. There is InspeCity, which is essentially building maintenance capabilities for satellites. Their solutions aim to extend satellite lifespans through refueling, repositioning, and de-orbiting, reducing costs for operators and mitigating space debris. Their work supports the emerging in-space economy for sustainable satellite operations and helping global efforts to manage orbital congestion. There is Kawa Space, which focuses on satellite-based downstream data analytics, providing geospatial intelligence for industries such as agriculture, insurance, and urban development. By using satellite imagery and analytics, Kawa Space delivers insights to customers, helping them monitor assets, predict trends, and optimise operations. Their work aligns with the increasing demand for earth observation data. Vishesh Rajaram: Drug discovery is big. We will be able to discover drugs and molecules significantly better in what is called microgravity. Chemicals crystallise better when there is no gravity. On Earth, you cannot have a no-gravity environment. Therefore, having a microgravity environment would help pharmaceutical research. I think space maintenance could be the other one. Why do you have to keep sending satellites? Why can't you make satellites in space? Things like that. There will be substantial advances in existing uses of satellite data in agriculture, weather prediction, etc, but these are improvements per se, not something totally new. Venkatesh Kannaiah: Tell us about some spacetech startups globally that you think are solving some interesting problems. Vishesh Rajaram: Globally, we are seeing a fascinating wave of innovation across diverse areas of spacetech. A few standout startups are Inbound Aerospace (India) and Varda Space Industries (USA). They are building in-orbit manufacturing capabilities, using microgravity to produce materials such as high-grade pharmaceuticals and semiconductors that are difficult to manufacture on Earth. InspeCity (India) and Astroscale (Japan) are building cities in space, tackling maintenance of satellites in orbit, refueling and repairing satellites, and orbital debris removal, a massive problem as satellite constellations scale. Each of these startups has a new dimension of commercial space, moving beyond just launch and communications into data, manufacturing, and sustainability. Vishesh Rajaram: Rather than naming specific companies, I will highlight a few themes where spacetech ventures have historically struggled, often due to timing, regulation, or capital intensity. Space-based internet in the pre-Starlink era is one idea tried out by many startups in the early 2000s, which failed due to the lack of reusable launch vehicles, expensive satellite hardware, and no real commercial use case at the time. The market was not ready for this idea. There was the idea of asteroid mining, which was visionary but premature in both technology readiness and capital requirement. The time horizon was too long for most commercial investors. Vishesh Rajaram: India's spacetech ecosystem is at a turning point. What is working is that ISRO is opening up. The creation of IN-SPACe has been a game changer. It provides a clear regulatory path for private players to work with the ISRO infrastructure and data. More than 150 spacetech startups have emerged in India in the last five years, covering everything from launch to sensors to analytics. Companies like GalaxEye, Agnikul, Kawa Space, and Astrogate are now on the global map. Institutions like IIT Madras, IISc, and BITS Pilani have become innovation hotbeds, not just in research, but in spinning out real ventures. India has the building blocks for a thriving space economy. What we need now is demand aggregation, especially from strategic and commercial buyers, and a maturing capital stack.
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Business Standard
18-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
VC firm Speciale Invest plans launch of new fund for deep-tech investments
Deep-tech investment firm Speciale Invest, which backs seed-stage and early-stage companies, is planning to launch its third fund as the current fund nears completion. The firm did not disclose the size of the upcoming fund but stated that it would be slightly larger than its previous fund, which stood at ₹300 crore. The firm plans to make five to six investments from the upcoming fund in the first year, with an average ticket size ranging between $0.75 million and $1 million, said Arjun Rao, general partner at the firm. 'We are working on it (Fund III)... Fund II will be fully deployed in the coming weeks or months, and then we should be ready to make new investments, and that will be a classic Fund III. The overall size will be a little larger than the last fund, but not significantly larger,' Rao said. Speciale Invest has backed companies including space-tech firm Agnikul Cosmos, flying taxi startup The ePlane Company, and semiconductor company Morphing Machines, among others. Over the past eight years, the firm has operated three funds — Fund I, Fund II, and an additional growth fund. Rao said the majority of limited partners are domestic, and capital has been raised from family offices, high-net-worth individuals (HNIs), ultra-HNIs, corporates, and some members of the Indian diaspora abroad. Fund I, launched in 2017, had a corpus of ₹60 crore, with investments in 18 companies. The average investment size was around $0.5 million. Apart from Agnikul Cosmos and The ePlane Company, other portfolio firms from this fund include robotics startup CynLr and space-tech firm GalaxEye. Fund II, launched in 2021, scaled up fivefold to ₹300 crore. As the fund nears full deployment, the firm expects to invest in one or two more companies. So far, it has backed 17 companies. Investment sizes ranged from $0.5 million to $1 million. Notable investments from this fund include climate-tech startup Newtrace, cybersecurity firm QNu Labs, and drug discovery startup Peptris. In 2023, Speciale Invest also raised a ₹185 crore growth fund to participate in follow-on rounds of its existing portfolio companies. 'We raised a growth fund in 2023 which amounted to ₹185 crore. We invested in around 5–6 companies from Fund I and Fund II. We can invest in a total of 8–10 companies from this fund,' Rao said. On exit performance, Rao said, 'They have all been healthy, positive multiple outcomes, some in the range of 2x to 8x multiples on mergers and acquisitions. These early-to-young companies were acquired by larger, strategic players who found value in the product, technology, and team.' He noted that Wingman was acquired by Clari, a global player in the sales intelligence space, and augmented reality startup Scapic was acquired by Walmart-owned Flipkart. In total, there have been seven exits. While the firm identifies as sector-agnostic, it sees high-growth opportunities in space technology, climate and sustainability, manufacturing, defence, industrial automation and robotics, artificial intelligence in enterprise infrastructure, biotech, and life sciences.
India Today
23-05-2025
- Automotive
- India Today
Agnikul Cosmos successfully test fires engine to power Agnibaan rocket
Agnikul Cosmos, the Chennai-based private space startup, has achieved a significant milestone by successfully test-firing India's first electric motor-driven semi-cryogenic rocket engine, which will power its upcoming Agnibaan launch breakthrough, announced on Friday, marks a major leap for India's rapidly evolving private space sector and places Agnikul at the forefront of propulsion technology engine's most notable feature is its electric motor-driven throttling system, which enables precise control over thrust by varying the speed of the electric This capability allows for higher accuracy and rapid response—critical for managing complex flight trajectories and mission requirements. During the test, the engine was throttled across a wide range of thrust levels, demonstrating the flexibility and reliability of the technology. Unlike conventional rocket engines that rely on gas generators or turbopumps, Agnikul's semi-cryogenic engine uses an electric motor to power the pumps that circulate propellants—a combination of liquid oxygen (cryogenic oxidizer) and refined kerosene (non-cryogenic fuel).This approach is not only more efficient but also allows for easier integration of advanced control signature single-piece engine design remains central to this new system. Many of the engine's pump subsystems were 3D-printed and assembled at the company's AS9100D-certified Rocket Factory-1, located at the IIT Madras Research Park in motor drives and associated control software were also designed and developed entirely successful test is a key step toward firing a cluster of these engines together, a crucial requirement for powering the Agnibaan which can be configured to carry payloads ranging from 30 kg to 300 kg, is designed to serve the growing demand for affordable and customisable satellite launches.
