Ahead Of Mission II, Spacetech Soonicorn Agnikul Ropes In Ex-ISRO Chairman Somanath As Board Observer

Spacetech startup Agnikul Cosmos has onboarded former Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman Dr Somanath S as an observer to its board.

The appointment comes in the run up to Agnikul undertaking its second space mission, which will involve the recovery of an orbital-class rocket booster and the extension of a rocket’s upper stage into an on-orbit platform.

“Dr Somanath’s career is, in many ways, the story of Indian rocketry. Having him as an observer on our board as we attempt Mission 02 means we have, at the table, someone who has personally navigated the complexity of booster design, stage recovery, and on-orbit operations at the highest level,” Agnikul Cosmos cofounder and CEO Srinath Ravichandran said.

Agnikul claims the mission’s milestone has not been demonstrated at this scale in India till now.

The mission will showcase Agnikul’s two-stage Agnibaan configuration in which the first-stage booster, after separation, will attempt a controlled descent and ocean recovery. At the same time, the upper stage will demonstrate extended on-orbit capability, converting itself into a functional platform rather than wasting after payload release. 

The spacetech startup holds patents in India, the United States, and Europe to cover this convertible upper-stage architecture.

The development comes months after the Tamil Nadu Industrial Development Corporation (TIDCO) invested ₹25 Cr in Agnikul in March this year.

Agnikul, founded in 2017 by IIT-Madras alumni Ravichandran and Moin SPM, secured $17 Mn (about ₹150 Cr) at a valuation of $500 Mn in November last year.

It completed its first mission of its homegrown rocket Agnibaan SOrTeD in 2024. This launch took place from a private launchpad located within the SDSC-SHAR at Sriharikota.

Agnikul’s planned space expedition adds on to the string of developments that are shaping up India’s space ambitions as a whole. Just a few days back, space debris removal startup Cosmoserve announced “Mission Embrace”, its first orbital technology demonstration, during the approved launch window between July 12 and August 4. Mission Embrace will fly aboard India’s first privately developed orbital launch vehicle carrying satellite payloads, while simultaneously attempting the demonstration of soft robotic capture in orbit.

As the roughly $350 Bn global space industry stays the course to exceed $1 Tn by 2040, private spacetech companies have been seeing a rapid increase in the country.

The central government is also doubling down on homegrown spacetech providing financial as well as regulatory support. 

The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) backed three Indian spacetech startups including Astrobase Space Technologies, SatSure Analytics and TakeMe2Space under its Technology Adoption Fund (TAF) Scheme, earlier this month. A few days back, Dhruva Space also raised ₹60 Cr in funding from IN-SPACe’s recently commissioned VC fund AVCF

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