Agnikul Cosmos Tests ‘Agnite’, a Fully 3D-Printed Booster Engine
Why in the news
Chennai-based space start-up Agnikul Cosmos successfully tested ‘Agnite’, a booster-stage rocket engine described as the world’s first fully 3D-printed one. The test took place at the company’s launchpad in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
Key facts
- Engine: ‘Agnite’, a booster engine about one metre long.
- Location: Agnikul Launchpad (ALP-01), Chennai.
- Material: Inconel, a high-performance superalloy; the engine is reported as the largest Inconel rocket engine printed as one piece.
- Speed: additive manufacturing can produce it in roughly seven days.
- Pumps: first engine of its scale tested with electric motor-driven pumps.
About the technology
Additive manufacturing (3D printing) builds the whole engine as a single unit, so there is no need to assemble many separate parts. The test checked engine performance, structural integrity and propulsion efficiency, and was described as a step towards faster, cheaper launch readiness for India’s private space sector.
Exam angle
- Key words: Agnikul Cosmos, Agnite, 3D-printed, Inconel, Chennai.
- It is a private-sector achievement, a typical question under science and technology ‘firsts’.
- Electric motor-driven pumps are the notable feature versus conventional turbo-pumps.