Space start-up Agnikul Cosmos has unveiled its new additive manufacturing facility for rocket and aerospace systems, aiming to cut space production costs by 50%. Located in Chennai, this is the first facility in India capable of 3D printing aerospace and rocket components up to one meter tall.
The new facility offers a fully integrated ecosystem that covers design, simulation, printing, post-processing, and finishing, significantly improving quality, reliability, and supply chain efficiency. This integration is expected to reduce production costs for space-based hardware by half, the company explained in a statement.
“This facility will allow us to print engines up to one meter in size, delivering seven times the thrust of previous models. Now, we can manufacture these engines in just days, entirely in-house. This rapid production process will accelerate our development cycles and drive faster innovation,” said Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO of Agnikul Cosmos.
The advanced facility enables Agnikul to create parts previously difficult to produce using additive manufacturing, allowing the company to deliver fully finished, flight-ready components in a matter of days, thereby speeding up the development timeline and expanding the potential of 3D printing technology.
“By not only expanding our printing capacity but also developing full-scale machines in-house, we are positioning ourselves to build space transportation systems faster, bringing us closer to delivering Agnikul’s technologies and launching our customers into space,” Mr Ravichandran added.
In addition to the printing capabilities, the facility features a custom-designed de-powdering machine for post-processing. This machine, developed internally, ensures a flawless surface finish and space-grade quality on additively manufactured parts, reducing reliance on external vendors and ensuring consistent output quality.
“Our mission has always been to make space access more reliable and cost-effective. With this new facility, we’re not only advancing our own launch readiness but also contributing to the foundation of a self-sustaining, globally competitive space industry in India,” said Moin SPM, co-founder and COO of Agnikul Cosmos.
Agnikul, which is incubated at IIT-Chennai, is developing the Agnibaan series of launch vehicles designed to deliver small satellites into orbit on-demand. The company successfully completed its first launch from its private launchpad last year.
