Indian startup that 3D prints rocket engines in 72 hours completes successful test flight
It has been announced that a rocket equipped with a rocket engine 3D printed in just 72 hours by Indian startup
3D-Printed Rocket: Indian Startup Successfully Launches - IEEE Spectrum
https://spectrum.ieee.org/3d-printed-rocket
The rocket used in this test flight was a 6m tall single-stage rocket developed based on Agnikul's two-stage
Building a rocket engine using a traditional approach would take months to complete, including testing to ensure it meets the required specifications, but Agnikul used a metal 3D printer developed by Germany's EOS to build the rocket engine in just 72 hours.
Agnikul's rocket engines are made from Inconel , a high-performance nickel-chromium alloy that can withstand high temperatures and stresses, and the 3D printing process automatically prints detailed reports detailing the process, eliminating much of the need for inspection afterward.
The rocket equipped with the completed rocket engine was launched on May 30, 2024 from the Indian Space Research Organization's Satish Dhawan Space Center on Sriharikota Island in Andhra Pradesh, India. About one minute after launch, the rocket achieved the target thrust of 6 kN and also successfully performed a 'wind compensation maneuver' to adjust the rocket's trajectory to account for the effects of wind. After reaching an altitude of about 6.5 km, the rocket then fell into the sea, completing its mission.
The launch of Agnibaan SOrTeD - a rough cut - YouTube
'This experiment went extremely well,' said Agnikul co-founder and COO Moin SPM. 'We achieved all of our mission objectives and this gives us great confidence in the technology we've built.'
Agnikul CEO Srinath Ravichandran also said, 'The big challenge now is to transition the engines used in this experiment to a seven-cluster type. This will create various challenges, such as adjusting the thrust balance of the entire engine at liftoff, but we plan to make appropriate fine adjustments depending on the mission.' According to Ravichandran, Agnikul is currently building a facility to conduct ground tests of the engine cluster at the time of writing, and is aiming to conduct a launch experiment by the end of May 2025.
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