later and after four technical delays. The spaceship used a 3-D-printed rocket engine that successfully brought the rocket ship to its destination safely, as the Indian Space Research Organization stated this Thursday.
The launch happened early in the morning this Thursday and was launched from the Satish Dhawan Space Center, which is situated in the south of the Indian Island of Sriharikora. The spaceship was named Agnibaan SOrTeD, short for Sub-Orbital Technology Demonstrator, and it was a single-stage launch aircraft. The Agnibaan startup organized this demonstration with the purpose of launching a vehicle to collect data and help develop a commercial orbital launch vehicle.
The spaceship's initial countdown was rehearsed for a launch in March and was moved after minor changes needed to be solved for a perfect launch. After their first delay, the second and third launches were supposed to happen in April. The fourth delay happened with the cancelation of the launch, which should have happened earlier this week.
The reason for each delay is technical issues with their last-minute inspection. This Thursday is finally when the spaceship has reached its purpose, lifted from the East Coast, and landed in the Bay of Bengal.
The company stated, “The key purpose of this mission, which is also Agnikul’s first flight, is to serve as a test flight, to demonstrate the in-house and home-grown technologies, gather crucial flight data, and ensure optimal functioning of systems for Agnikul's orbital launch vehicle, the ‘Agnibaan’”.
The spaceship was a two-stage vehicle that could carry up to 300kg (661lb) and reach the orbit at approximately 700km (435 miles). The vehicle reached its maximum altitude of 8076 meters and fell into the ocean. The company stated, “All the mission objectives of this controlled vertical ascent flight were met, and performance was nominal,” about the mission.
The Indian Space Research Organization has not yet launched successfully a semi-cryogenic engine into orbit. This spaceship is moving closer to this realization: “A major milestone, as the first-ever controlled flight of a semi-cryogenic liquid engine realized through additive manufacturing”.
The chairman of the Indian National Space Promotion Authorisation Centre, Pawan K Goenka, stated that it was a “historic moment”.
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