Vishwam Sankaran
Wed, October 18, 2023
India’s Modi declares goal to land human on Moon by 2040
India’s prime minister Narendra Modi has directed the country’s space agency to aim to send the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
At a high level meeting on Tuesday, Mr Modi directed the space agency’s top leaders that the country should now aim for new and ambitious goals, including putting an Indian on the Moon and setting up the nation’s own indigenous space station by 2035.
The meeting was organised to assess the progress of India’s planned crewed orbital launch to space as part of its Gaganyaan Mission in 2025.
India’s Department of Space reportedly presented a comprehensive overview of the Gaganyaan Mission, including various technologies developed so far and updates on human-rated launch vehicles.
In the coming months, around 20 major tests, including three uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned for the mission, the government noted in a statement.
The meeting evaluated the readiness of the Gaganyaan mission, affirming its launch in 2025.
Building on the success of India’s space initiatives, including the recent Chandrayan-3 mission to the Moon’s south pole, and the Aditya L1 mission to the Sun, the Indian prime minister directed that India should now aim for setting up “Bharatiya Antariksha Station (Indian Space Station)” by 2035 and sending the first Indian to the Moon by 2040.
The space department is planning to develop a roadmap for further exploration of the Moon, including a series of Chandrayaan missions and the development of a Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).
The government agency is also considering and planning the construction of a new launch pad as well as the setting up of “human-centric Laboratories and associated technologies.”
Mr Modi also called upon Indian scientists to work towards further missions to other planets in the Solar System, including a venus orbiter mission and a Mars lander.
Patrick Hilsman
Tue, October 17, 2023
After a series of successful space exploration milestones, including the launch of the Aditya-L1 solar observation mission shown here, the Indian government says it plans on building an Indian space station by 2035 and landing an Indian crew on the moon by 2040. File Photo by Piyal Adhikary/EPA-EFE
Oct. 17 (UPI) -- The Indian government wants an Indian space station by the year 2035 and a crewed Indian mission to land on the moon by 2040.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office announced the goals after a meeting to update the prime minister on the progress of India's Gaganyaan program, which intends to pave the way for independent crewed Indian missions into space.
"It was noted that around 20 major tests, including three uncrewed missions of the Human Rated Launch Vehicle (HLVM3) are planned," the prime minister's office said in a press release Tuesday.
In August, India's Chandryaan-3 lunar mission successfully set down on the moon.
In September, the Aditya-L1 spacecraft, which will study solar magnetic storms emanating from the sun, successfully departed.
The goals were announced after a meeting between space officials and India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi. File Photo by Indian Space Research Organization
"The Department of Space presented a comprehensive overview of the Gaganyaan Mission, including various technologies developed so far such as human-rated launch vehicles and system qualification," the prime minister's office said.
The Indian Space Research Organization is testing the Gaganyaan capsule and hopes to fly crewed missions in the next few years.
"The Department of Space will develop for moon exploration. This will encompass a series of Chandrayaan missions, the development of the Next Generation Lauch Vehicle (NGLV)," the prime minister's office said.
India's first astronaut, Rakesh Sharma, spent time aboard the Soviet Salyut 7 space station in 1984.
Indian-American astronaut Kalpana Chawla became the first Indian woman to travel to space in 1997, when she flew aboard the Space Shuttle Columbia. In 2003, Chawla was killed when the Columbia disintegrated while reentering the atmosphere.
Passant Rabie
Tue, October 17, 2023
The Flight Test Vehicle Abort Mission-1 (TV-D1) getting prepped for launch.
Still on a high from launching back-to-back missions to the Moon and Sun, India is now ready to test its ability to send astronauts to space.
The Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) is set to launch an empty crew module and bring it back to Earth to test the capsule’s emergency escape system. The Gaganyaan mission will lift off on Saturday, October 21 at 10:30 p.m. ET (8:00 a.m. local time) from Satish Dhawan Space Center, according to ISRO. The empty crew module will be recovered after touching down in the Bay of Bengal.
India is testing the crew module as part of its plan to launch astronauts to low Earth orbit in 2024 as part of the country’s growing spaceflight ambitions.
In late August, Chandrayaan-3, India’s second attempt at a touchdown on the lunar surface, achieved a soft landing on the Moon’s south polar region. The mission placed India among the few countries, including the Soviet Union, U.S., and China, that have successfully landed on the Moon. Additionally, it marked the first landing on the lunar south pole (though China begs to differ on this point). Shortly after, India headed towards the Sun with its Aditya-L1 mission, which launched in September to observe solar activity and study space weather.
India recently revealed an even more ambitious timeline to set up its own space station, the Bharatiya Antariksha Station, in Earth orbit by 2035 and send the first Indian to the Moon by 2040, local media announced.
Following the launch of an empty test capsule on Saturday, ISRO wants to carry out another test flight that will carry a robot to orbit, according to Reuters. “Before the ultimate manned ‘Gaganyaan’ mission, there will be a test flight next year, which will carry Vyommitra, the female robot astronaut,” Jitendra Singh, deputy minister for science and technology, is quoted as saying.
Jagmeet Singh
Updated Tue, October 17, 2023
Image Credits: Agnikul
Agnikul, an Indian space tech startup developing small-lift launch vehicles, has raised $26.7 million in fresh investment as it looks to begin commercial launches using its customizable satellite rocket.
Companies — from big tech giants to startups — are looking to launch their small satellites (up to 500 kg in weight) to space to improve their existing technologies and bring new experiences, such as precise location tracking and internet connectivity for remote areas. As underlined by the European Commission, this has ramped up the demand for smaller rockets.
Small satellites have typically been launched as secondary payloads on larger launch vehicles. Existing players, including Elon Musk's SpaceX, have been conducting ride-share missions for small satellite launches. However, their growing demand has encouraged space companies to seek specific solutions. Astra, Virgin Orbit and Rocket Lab are some U.S. space companies that have introduced small satellite launch vehicles to cater to the growing demand. Nevertheless, the gap between the demand and supply of small launch vehicles is still quite significant by most accounts, leaving enough room for new entrants.
Agnikul is one such entrant, via its Agnibaan small satellite rocket. It will use a single-piece engine with no assembly or conventional manufacturing process to offer a faster production timeline and tailor-made launches. It'll instead use additive manufacturing, otherwise known as 3D printing — the same approach being taken by U.S.-based Relativity Space. The Chennai-based startup has showcased some glimpses of its plan by launching a 3D-printed engine called Agnilet, which was successfully test-fired in early 2021.
Last year, Agnikul secured a patent for the engine and established its facility to build many such engines using end-to-end 3D printing. It also launched India's first private launchpad and mission control center at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre in Sriharikota, located in the Southern Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, in November and started the integration process of its launch vehicle Agnibaan SOrTeD (Suborbital Technological Demonstrator) in August.
Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of Agnikul, told TechCrunch that the startup looks to complement India's space agency, the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and is targeting to handle launches in the less than 300 kg payloads segment.
"When the customer looks at India for a solution, we are filling the gap not directly addressed by ISRO today," he said in an interview.
ISRO currently has its Small Satellite Launch Vehicle (SSLV) to launch satellites weighing up to 500 kilograms in a low-Earth orbit. However, the space agency intends to fully transfer the vehicle to the private sector through bidding.
Ravichandran founded Agnikul along with Moin SPM and IIT Madras professor SR Chakravarthy in 2017. In December 2020, it became the first Indian private space company to sign an agreement with ISRO. Subsequently, the startup began developing its launch service for satellites weighing up to 100 kg using the Agnibaan rocket into a 700-kilometer (about 435 miles) Earth orbit.
"We have not yet done commercial launches; we have not entered the commercialization phase. But at the same time, today, people are able to look at what we have done with the money we have received, how efficient we have been on capital, and what technology we have been able to build," Ravichandran asserted.
Without disclosing specifics, he added that the startup has received some inbound interest from potential launch customers, mainly from companies in Europe and Japan, and also signed memorandums of understanding with a few. India also has some satellite tech startups that could become Agnikul's customers after it starts commercialization following its first test flight, which is expected sometime before the end of 2023.
The space of small satellite launch vehicles where Agnikul operates already has Indian startup Skyroot Aerospace backed by GIC, Sherpalo Ventures and Graph Ventures, among other investors. The latter has Vikram S to take 80 kg payloads to 100-kilometer altitude. Similarly, there is global competition from players such as Rocket Lab, which also has the Electron rocket for small satellite launches. However, Ravichandran said the ability to customize the vehicle depending on payload requirements helps bring a cost-effective advantage to Agnikul.
"The vehicle can be tailored to whatever payload is being asked or to whatever orbit it is being asked to go to, without compromising on the cost itself," he said. "So just because you have only 30–40 kg to launch, we don't believe in pricing at a very high dollar per kg. We say between 30 to 300 kgs, anyone in that range, the dollar per kg would be still the same."
He continued that the vehicle is also being designed to be launched using mobile launchpads, and that they can be reused.
Agnikul currently has a headcount of around 225 people, predominantly in manufacturing and launch operations. It operates from four facilities and the mission control center.
With the capital infusion, the startup is looking to go beyond its first few launches and hire talent to help realize and manufacture multiple launch vehicles.
"It's about getting out of a very design-focused phase into a phase of design+production+manufacturing, with quality as a prime focus, wherein we'll be able to actually tell our customers that okay, your assets are safe with us," Ravichandran stated.
"Agnikul's pursuit of innovative space solutions aligns with our investment focus on India's leading-edge deep tech sectors," said Arun Kumar, managing partner at Agnikul investor Celesta Capital, in a prepared statement. "We are excited to support their pioneering vision and innovative approach to modernizing and democratizing the space industry. Their mission underscores the spirit of collaboration amongst the Indian Space Research Organization, space regulators, and entrepreneurs in driving advancements within India's vibrant space-tech ecosystem."
Agnikul sees an annual demand for about 50 tons in the less than 300 kgs satellite launch segment. Therefore, it plans to develop multiple variants of its Agnibaan rocket and increase launches from one or two per year to one or two per month over time.
"As India's answer to SpaceX, Agnikul is poised to revolutionize the space industry not just domestically but globally. Led by Srinath, Moin and Prof. Satya, the team is super passionate, and we wish them all the success in their first mission," said Sailesh Ramakrishnan, managing partner at Rocketship.vc, which also participated in the round.
Agnikul is one of the examples of how India's space tech industry has emerged in the last few years. The country opened its space sector for private companies in June 2020 and created the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) as a nodal agency to collaborate with startups. Since then, it has seen significant growth in space activities.
The South Asian nation, which currently has over 150 space tech startups, introduced its anticipated space policy in April, detailing public and private cooperation guidelines. The country also saw successful launches of missions, including its highly acclaimed moon lander mission Chandrayaan-3 and solar probe Aditya-L1. Additionally, India's growing space activities gained attention — and attracted investments — from Big Tech companies, including Google and Microsoft.
Foreign satellite launches helped India generate $174 million, with $157 million coming in the last nine years, the government recently said in the parliament. However, the industry demands clarity on foreign direct investments in Indian space tech startups and the recently released guidelines for the private sector as it moves forward.
Equity investments in the Indian space tech startup ecosystem soared nearly 312% to $114.9 million in 2022 from $27.9 million in 2020, according to the data shared by analyst firm Tracxn. As much as $65.5 million was invested in 2023 alone.
"From our early days with Agnikul, it's been a thrilling journey," said Anirudh A. Damani, fund manager at Artha Venture Fund. "Now, seeing them draw such esteemed investors showcases not just their current achievements but hints at the groundbreaking feats on the horizon in the space tech sector. Doubling our investment isn't merely a financial move — it's a ringing endorsement of our faith in Agnikul's prowess. We're all in, eager to see — and support — every giant leap they make in reshaping space exploration."
The all-equity Series B funding round saw participation from Celesta Capital, Rocketship.vc and Artha Select Fund. Agnikul's existing investors Artha Venture Fund, Pi Ventures, Speciale Invest and Mayfield India also participated in the round. The six-year-old startup has raised $40 million in capital to date, including the $11 million Series A round in May 2021.
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