Agnikul Cosmos launches Agnibaan, Start-Up Scripted Rocket History 

Agnikul Cosmos, India's private space start-up, today test-fired its rocket named Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Tech Demonstrator), which is powered by an engine that the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) is still trying to master.

ISRO has announced that the Chennai based start-up successfully launched the rocket at 7.15 am. ISRO chairman Mr S Somanath confirmed that the launch was "successful".

The mission, which lasted approximately two minutes, marked a major achievement for the company and the country in the development of indigenous space technology.

The SOrTeD mission, which was initially scheduled to launch on April 7 but was postponed due to technical glitches, finally took off from India's first private launchpad, ALP-01, located at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota.

The mission featured a 6.2-meter-tall single-stage launch vehicle with an elliptical nose cone and was equipped with advanced avionics architecture and autopilot software developed in-house.

The Agnilet engine, the world's first single-piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic rocket engine, powered the vehicle. The mission included a series of precise manoeuvres, including a pitch-over manoeuvre and wind biasing, before splashing down in the Bay of Bengal.

The successful launch of SOrTeD marks a significant step forward for Agnikul Cosmos, which is targeting the multi-billion-dollar small satellite launch market.