CHENNAI, India/DALIAN, China — If you visit the startup Agnikul Cosmos at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras, one of India’s top science universities, you will be told: “Please take off your shoes and turn off your mobile phone, or set it to airplane mode.” Then you will be guided to a room with a giant 3D printer, where operators are printing a small rocket.
An engine with a complex structure takes just three days to complete, using information culled from the internet and digital design software. Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder of the startup, believes demand for small satellites will increase. “India already became a superpower of launching in the [space] vehicle segment,” he said.
