Overview
- Agnikul announced Thursday that former ISRO chairman S Somanath has joined the Chennai startup as an Observer on its board to advise on Mission 02.
- Mission 02 is a two‑stage Agnibaan flight that will attempt a controlled ocean recovery of the first‑stage booster and test a patented 'convertible' upper stage designed to remain functional in orbit after payload deployment.
- The company says the mission uses indigenous semi‑cryogenic propulsion and a 3D‑printed Agnite engine the team says can be produced in days, and that the convertible upper‑stage architecture is patented in India, the US and Europe.
- Agnikul’s leadership describes Somanath’s role as operational and hands‑on rather than ceremonial, citing his experience leading ISRO missions and systems integration as directly relevant to the complex guidance, propulsion, structure and avionics work required for recovery and on‑orbit operations.
- The move builds on Agnikul’s May 2024 suborbital flight, recent private and public funding support, and India’s regulatory opening to private launch firms, but the company stresses Mission 02 remains a high‑risk technical step that will be validated only when the flight is completed.