India’s private space sector gains new 3D printing capacity

Agnikul Cosmos, a Chennai-based space tech startup, has opened India’s first large-format additive manufacturing facility for aerospace systems. This new hub allows the company to design, print, and test large-scale rocket components with greater speed and at a lower cost.

The facility’s main capability is 3D printing parts up to one meter in height. This enables the company to produce components that were previously difficult to manufacture. According to Agnikul, this will reduce the cost of space manufacturing by half and shorten the delivery time for flight-ready hardware to just a few days. The facility includes a custom-built de-powdering machine for post-processing, which helps ensure a high-quality finish without reliance on outside suppliers.

Agnikul already holds a US patent for single-piece 3D-printed rocket engines. With the new plant, the company can now produce engines that are one meter in size. These new engines can deliver seven times more thrust than earlier models and can be manufactured in-house quickly.

Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of Agnikul, stated that the new facility will allow the company to build space transportation systems faster. Moin SPM, co-founder and COO, added that the goal is to make access to space reliable and cost-effective, which this new capability helps achieve.

Incubated at IIT Madras, Agnikul is building a launch vehicle called Agnibaan to send small satellites to orbit. The company has raised a total of USD 45 million to date from investors like Celesta Capital, Rocketship.vc, and Mayfield India. Alongside other startups like Skyroot Aerospace, Agnikul is helping to establish a private space ecosystem in India.