Chennai-based space technology startup on Tuesday announced that it has raised $26.7 million in Series-B funding. With this funding round, the company is developing its own launch vehicle and 3D-printed rocket engine and has raised a total of $40 million in capital. The company is working on developing and building Agnibaan—its small satellite launch vehicle designed to carry payloads of up to 100 kilograms to a low-Earth orbit. It will be powered by Agnilet, a “semi-cryogenic” rocket engine that will be powered by a mixture of liquid kerosene at room temperature and supercold liquid oxygen. Agnikul said that it began the integration process for its Agnibaan SOrTed (SubOrbital Technological Demonstrator) in August this year. The integration process is happening at the company’s facility at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre (SDSC) SHAR at Sriharikota. The Agnikul launchpad and the Agnikul mission control centre, which are four kilometres apart, together form India’s first private launch facility. It was inaugurated on November 28 last year by Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) chairman S Somanath.
