Agnikul Cosmos, an Indian area tech startup trying to make the most of the huge area journey alternative of the subsequent decade, has been grabbing headlines within the latest instances. From signing offers with Alaska Aerospace Company within the US, to signing an MoU with ISRO for accessing its infrastructure and technical experience, Agnikul Cosmos has made large leaps since its inception in 2017. This IIT Madras incubated startup is presently engaged on its widespread launch car Agnibaan and appears to hold out its first launch in 2022. This Agnibaan launch rocket is being developed to hold as much as 100-kg small satellites to low orbit Earth.
The area firm appears to supply a cab-like service to small satellite tv for pc producers, enabling them to launch from anyplace and anytime from throughout the globe. Agnikul Cosmos can also be methods by which area transportation could be made extra inexpensive and extra accessible, for analysis, expertise improvement, and companies. Sooner or later, it appears to do at the very least 20-25 launches yearly.
Devices 360 spoke to Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO, Agnikul Cosmos to know a bit extra concerning the firm’s journey to date and its future plans.
1. What had been you doing earlier than you started Agnikul Cosmos?
I’m {an electrical} engineer turned Wall Road dealer turned aerospace engineer. I’ve a Bachelor’s diploma in electrical engineering from Faculty of Engineering, Guindy, and Masters diploma in monetary engineering from Columbia College and aerospace engineering from the College of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. Once I was working in finance, I realised that my coronary heart was actually in engineering. So, I took a leap of religion with quitting the finance job and appears prefer it has been going okay to date.
2. What motivated you to start Agnikul Cosmos? How did you meet your fellow co-founder?
Story goes again to 2015, after I was in Los Angeles, I visited plenty of universities and different corporations and noticed that each place value one thing had a small satellite tv for pc ready to be launched. So, I noticed an issue for small satellites accessing area by means of typical launch automobiles. It felt just like what we see in rideshare by means of floor transportation – say in a bus together with different individuals – there needs to be area within the bus, the bus ought to go to the identical place that you simply wish to go and it’ll begin solely after the bus is full. All these had been ache factors for the small satellite tv for pc producers, we wished to handle this with a cab like answer which could be launched from anyplace and anytime within the globe. This led to the core concept behind Agnikul Cosmos.
Together with my then pal and now cofounder – Moin, who was operating his personal enterprise, we determined to pursue this concept a bit. We felt, tutorial establishments are a great way to start out. We created an inventory of IITs which had been engaged on aerospace associated applied sciences. We chilly known as and mailed about 70-80 professors. One such chilly name received us launched to Professor Satya Chakkaravarthy from IIT Madras. He believed in our concept and informed us that he discovered the idea of a fast cab service to area fairly fascinating. Agnikul was mainly born at that second.
3. What was it like within the first yr of being in enterprise? What are your key learnings from the early days?
Early days had been all about determining stuff. Although Moin had run companies previously and I had networked lots with a number of startups, doing one thing in aerospace {hardware} was new to each of us. Figuring this out and getting a street map out of the concept was the important thing problem within the first yr. Our key learnings included attempting to give you a narrative that one might give an investor, and tips on how to pitch ourselves to clients. Fortunately, we now have all the time had the help of retired ISRO scientists by means of Professor Chakravarthy. So, the challenges from a {hardware} entrance had been extra about implementation of the product versus the core design or technique wanted.
4. What are the challenges in constructing area expertise within the nation?
The principle problem was coverage and regulation. There was no regulatory authority to license our actions earlier. However presently with the creation of IN-SPACe and coverage modifications, we see area changing into the subsequent massive factor in India. We as a rustic I imagine are in the fitting place on the proper time.
5. What was the affect of the COVID-19 disaster in your plans?
As a {hardware} firm, it was very troublesome for us to handle the scenario with out doing any precise {hardware} testing which created an affect in our launch timeline. Through the second wave, we stopped all our Liquid oxygen primarily based testing to be able to help the nation within the oxygen disaster. Nonetheless, as a group, we deliberate all actions in a phased method regardless of COVID and we efficiently certified our single piece 3D printed engine proper by means of the disaster. We additionally created intensive vendor databases to assist us have a number of backups in case of issues of provide chain and procurement by means of the disaster.
6. During which yr did Agnikul Cosmos make appreciable progress? May you supply extra particulars on what occurred by means of that yr?
Yearly has been large in its personal manner. From our begin in December 2017, annually we had been capable of hit some significant milestone. Fortunately, if we now have to choose, 2021 has been a outstanding yr for us as far as we now have examined our second stage engine and in addition raised our sequence A which is India’s largest area tech funding spherical. As well as, we additionally signed an MoU with the Division of Area which has pushed us a lot nearer in the direction of our dream of launching from Indian soil.
7. What merchandise have you ever constructed to date? What are you engaged on?
At current, we’re engaged on testing and integration of varied subsystems of Agnibaan. We’ve efficiently designed, realised and certified our engines. We’ve efficiently fabricated all propulsion subsystems corresponding to pumps and motors and we’re actively inserting orders for lots of the giant elements of the car corresponding to tanks and structural subsystems. We’re planning for our first launch by the tip of 2022.
8. May you assist give a way of how far Agnikul Cosmos has are available in these few years? From when it started to the place it’s now.
We included in December 2017 as a four-member group, now we now have near 100 members (YoY – 4, 12, 36, 50, 100) from varied backgrounds working along with a dream of creating area accessible to everybody. We’ve raised near $15 million (roughly Rs. 112 crores) funding raised over three years of funding yearly since 2019 ($0.5 million, $3.5 million, $11 million) and signed a MoU with India Area Analysis Organisation for utilising their infrastructure and technical experience. We’ve additionally signed agreements with supporting companies like Leafspace for floor stations. As well as, we now have onboarded just a few clients throughout the globe to launch with us. We’re nonetheless a pre income firm with buyer Letters of Intent steadily growing over time.
9. How did the ISRO partnership come about? Aside from infrastructure entry, how else will it assist the enterprise?
Agnikul is the primary firm to signal agreements with ISRO together with an MoU with ISRO (which occurred very lately). This MoU will present us entry to infrastructure for testing a number of subsystems corresponding to engines and avionics packages. Understanding of ISRO amenities will give us invaluable steerage moreover accelerating our time to get the product flight prepared. As well as, we see this partnership as a serious step in permitting personal gamers in area sectors to work alongside ISRO. Additionally, this may assist us assessment our designs with ISRO consultants.
10. May you communicate concerning the distinctive 3D-printing tech that you simply use to construct your rockets?
Many of the elements of our launch car are made by means of 3D printing. We depend on 3D printing to scale back the fabrication and turnaround time. We’ve lately realised and certified our absolutely 3D printed, single piece and semi cryogenic engine – Agnilet. This might be a part of the second stage of our car and it is certainly one of its type on the planet. We’ve realised the full-scalemodel and showcased it for the primary time in IAC, Dubai.
11. Is India prepared for a space-tech revolution? How lengthy earlier than we now have corporations that do work at a scale like SpaceX in India?
With the efforts of our Honourable Prime Minister, Indian Area Analysis Organisation, area is changing into the subsequent booming factor in India. Atmosphere may be very beneficial for area startups now and with the variety of area corporations elevating funding, the day shouldn’t be to date. Very quickly India could have its personal SpaceX up and operating.
12. Have you considered methods by which you may cut back the price of area journey?
We’re an area transportation firm – all the pieces that we do has an angle of area journey value discount. Ranging from extremely modular car designs, to environment friendly vitality administration techniques corresponding to new age batteries, to engines that may be simply manufactured, we imagine the price of area journey could be drastically decreased when one is ready to iterate {hardware} on the pace of software program.
13. What are the opposite plans for the long run?
Future plans exist from scaling to do at the very least 20-25 launches a yr (a launch on-demand each 2 weeks). We even have plans to make the rocket extraordinarily customisable and tailor it particularly for every satellite tv for pc’s wants – all satellites are particular sufficient to demand a rocket of their very own.
14. How lengthy earlier than area journey turns into as frequent as air journey?
I anticipate this to be taking 15 years or so in India. Globally, it might occur in seven to eight years. Three issues need to occur earlier than we get right here – A) Value of journey has to return down meaningfully, B) Consciousness on how reachable area is ought to go up, C) Rocket Science shouldn’t be “rocket science” to get right here. Corporations corresponding to ourselves are engaged on all of those areas to create space transportation as frequent as air transportation.
15. Do you have got any administration mantra/ recommendation that you simply’d prefer to share with future entrepreneurs?
You will not all the time have luck however all you must do is attempt until that time. I’ve all the time had this perception and inform my teammates as nicely. For those who take a graph, and attempt to plot output vs. onerous work, generally, for a similar quantity of onerous work you’re going to get extra output, you by no means know when this section will come. All you must do is proceed with regular, constant brute drive effort and, in the future issues will out of the blue be in your favour.
16. What’s the worker power? Is Agnikul Cosmos hiring presently?
We’re presently a 100-member group and we’re scaling quickly. We’re hiring individuals for varied verticals presently, please do take a look at our careers web page for particulars and drop your resume at [email protected] too. Anybody who is basically actually good at something, has a spot at Agnikul!
