The epoch is not far when India will see its own mega private aerospace fellowship like Elon Musk-owns SpaceX or Jeff Bezos-run Blue Origin, making travellers to the edge of space and beyond, Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of rocket startup AgniKul Cosmos, has envisioned.In a chitchat with IANS, Ravichandran who is delirious after Agnikul Cosmos was granted access to the Indian Space Research Organisation( ISRO) equipment and expertise for the developing and testing of systems and subsystems of its rockets, said that the pact with ISRO will allow them to ultilise its equipment to experiment out numerous sub-systems of their launch vehicle.”This will, in turn, help us with increased capital expenditure and facilitated testing, ” he said.The next pace, he contributed, will be to aim multiple launches per year and scale to the fullest extent of having a launch formerly in two-three weeks.”Beyond that would be about building the vehicles more efficient, thereby providing even cheaper access to customers. We are doing this through a mix of innovations on many technologies in private vehicles, ” Ravichandran informed.Last month, Chennai-based Agnikul Cosmos received the nod by the Department of Space to carry out multiple tests and qualify its only piece 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine and other systems of its projectile at various ISRO centres.This is the second pact that the Department of Space has signed with a projectile make, after the first with Hyderabad-based Skyroot Aerospace on September 11. According to Ravichandran, their rocket engine are 100 per cent of cases 3D-printed, that more in a single shot.”This allows us to instantly assemble what comes out of the 3D printer in our start vehicle. The great advantage of this is the ability to provide and enable rapid launching access and, at the same time, clear customisable opening vehicles, ” elaborated Ravichandran.He worded the startup with Moin SPM within IIT-Madras with a seed fund of Rs 3 crore, with an aim to develop and propel its first rocket in 2021 and subsequently develop ability to provide launch service for satellites.The current investors in the spacetech startup are Mayfield India, PI Ventures, Speciale Invest, Beenext, Artha and others.In June, India decided to allow private companies to establish and operate rocket launch areas within and outside the country, subject to the provisions contained in prior authorisation from the government.Similarly, any projectile propel( orbital or sub-orbital) from Indian or overseas territory can be carried out simply with authorisation from Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Center( IN-SPACe ), an independent body constituted by the Government of India, under the Department of Space( DOS ). The launch could be from own or loaned launching site and also from portable programmes( moor, ocean or breeze) as per the Draft National Space Transportation Policy-2 020 brought out by the Department of Space.”Now that we also have to plan the entire machine house facility in-house, we are confident that we can control engine clearing end-to-end in India, thereby not only enabling ‘make in India’ but also ‘design in India’, ” Ravichandran told IANS.He said that anyone who wants to do a cavity tech startup should do it today.”Right now is the best time to do a spacetech startup in India. The government has been very forthcoming in terms of the help provided to enable private field missions and now would be a good time to get started to get things done, ” Ravichandran noted.

Read more: economictimes.indiatimes.com