Agnikul Cosmos Opens New Facilities to Test Reusable Rocket Stages
Indian space startup Agnikul Cosmos has inaugurated two new facilities at its Chennai Assembly & Testing Facility as it expands work on reusable launch vehicles. The Stage Testing & Inspection Facility (STIF) and the Pressurant Tank Realisation, Over-wrapping and Outfitting Facility (PROOF) are designed to bring stage-level testing, recovery assessment and pressure-vessel manufacturing further in-house.
The facilities were inaugurated in the presence of Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, one of India's Gaganyaan astronaut-designates. Agnikul says the new infrastructure will help it build a repeatable cycle of testing, flying, recovering, inspecting and requalifying rocket stages as it prepares for Mission-02.
STIF Tests Complete Rocket Stages
STIF has been designed and built by Agnikul to test complete rocket stages under conditions that replicate key aspects of an actual flight. It can test stages with propulsion and avionics integrated, including clusters of the company's single-piece, semi-cryogenic, electric pump-fed 3D-printed engines.
The facility supports thrust levels from 1 kilonewton to 200 kilonewtons, liquid oxygen sub-cooling down to 73 Kelvin and full-duration burns of up to 150 seconds. It is also equipped to inspect and requalify stages after they return from flight, an important requirement for a reusable rocket system.
PROOF Brings Pressure-Vessel Production In-House
The second facility, PROOF, focuses on manufacturing high-pressure composite overwrapped pressure vessels used in launch vehicles. Agnikul says the facility can produce more than 10 vessels a month, with capacities of up to 3,500 litres and pressures reaching 350 bar.
Bringing the component manufacturing process in-house is expected to reduce dependence on external suppliers and give the company greater control over quality, production schedules and design iterations. Together with STIF, PROOF expands Agnikul's capabilities beyond engine development into larger-scale vehicle manufacturing and testing.
Mission-02 Is the Next Major Test
Agnikul is preparing the new infrastructure as it moves toward its second major mission. Its first mission, Agnibaan SOrTeD, launched on May 30, 2024, from the company's private launchpad at Sriharikota and demonstrated a controlled ascent using its single-piece 3D-printed engine and in-house autopilot architecture.
The company now wants to extend that experience into a reusable launch system. STIF will allow engineers to test complete stages for mission-duration burns and assess recovered hardware before preparing it for another flight.
Building a More Integrated Space Manufacturing Base
The new facilities fit into Agnikul's broader effort to control more of its launch-vehicle supply chain. The company already develops its 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engines, avionics and other propulsion and vehicle systems in-house.
That approach could help Agnikul shorten development cycles and increase launch cadence as it moves toward more complex missions. The immediate objective, however, is to prove that its systems can withstand the demands of flight and eventually be recovered and prepared for another mission.
With STIF and PROOF now operational, Agnikul has added two pieces of infrastructure needed for that process. The company still has to demonstrate the full recovery and reuse cycle in flight, but the new facilities give it a dedicated environment to test and refine the technology before attempting that step.
