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Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

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Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#11

Post by alephnerd »

aamoyg wrote: post #9

[flagged]

Here's a better article - https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/29/india-agnikul-3d-printed-r...

> There are only a few players in private space which print rocket engines, and our very own SpaceX was one of the first to pioneer this

The US isn't the only country with a large private space sector. China and India have both been heavily investing in it since the mid-2010s, because a dynamic space sector also means having an indigenous capability to deploy spy-satellites and ballistic missiles.

There's a reason why Maxar, SpaceX, etc all get outsized DoD funding.

India's space sector is also getting a massive cash infusion from the UAE [0] and KSA [1], as they both begin their process of building domestic space capabilities due to worries of Iran.

[0] - https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/spotlight/indian-space-m...

[1] - https://www.zawya.com/en/business/technology-and-telecom/sau...

Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#12

Post by nordsieck »

alephnerd wrote: post #5

> feature eight engines in total and able to carry a 300-kilogram payload to an altitude of around 700 km. The launch vehicle used in May’s test was only 6 meters tall Significant military implications as well [0]. There is a significant spy-sat race going on in the region right now [1] with China, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Israel, etc all investing in capabilities i…

> Also has an impact in enhancing India's Ballistic Missile strategy used to combat a two-front war [2], because Missiles are to Indian military strategy what Drones are for Chinese military strategy.

Almost no one uses liquid fueled Ballistic Missiles any more (I think China is the only one) because they are so operationally terrible.

The eventual rocket sounds like it's a hair larger than RocketLab's Electron. Which is struggling to reach profitability after being in its segment for 7-8 years mostly without peer competition. Largely thanks to SpaceX's transporter (and now bandwagon) missions sucking most of the volume out of the market.

Making a working rocket is undoubtedly an amazing accomplishment. But at the same time, I really wish that companies stopped making small-lift rockets. There's just no way for them to work financially.

Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#13

Post by nordsieck »

fallingknife wrote: post #10
alephnerd wrote: post #5

> feature eight engines in total and able to carry a 300-kilogram payload to an altitude of around 700 km. The launch vehicle used in May’s test was only 6 meters tall Significant military implications as well [0]. There is a significant spy-sat race going on in the region right now [1] with China, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Israel, etc all investing in capabilities i…

> America's immigration system gets more and more rickety It's completely insane that we allow mass migration of people with no money and no skills and make it incredibly difficult for the most valuable immigrants to get in.

> It's completely insane

It makes perfect sense when you understand the principal-agent problem and the current political landscape.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principal%E2%80%93agent_proble...

Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#14

Post by alephnerd »

nordsieck wrote: post #12
alephnerd wrote: post #5

> feature eight engines in total and able to carry a 300-kilogram payload to an altitude of around 700 km. The launch vehicle used in May’s test was only 6 meters tall Significant military implications as well [0]. There is a significant spy-sat race going on in the region right now [1] with China, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Israel, etc all investing in capabilities i…

> Also has an impact in enhancing India's Ballistic Missile strategy used to combat a two-front war [2], because Missiles are to Indian military strategy what Drones are for Chinese military strategy. Almost no one uses liquid fueled Ballistic Missiles any more (I think China is the only one) because they are so operationally terrible. The eventual rocket sounds like it's a hair larger than RocketLab's Electron. Whic…

> Almost no one uses liquid fueled Ballistic Missiles any more (I think China is the only one) because they are so operationally terrible.

India does as well as China.

But they are cheap! Very cheap. Read the 3rd article I linked - it's the actual Indian government strategy around BMD.

Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#15

Post by aamoyg »

alephnerd wrote: post #11
aamoyg wrote: post #9

[flagged]

Here's a better article - https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/29/india-agnikul-3d-printed-r... > There are only a few players in private space which print rocket engines, and our very own SpaceX was one of the first to pioneer this The US isn't the only country with a large private space sector. China and India have both been heavily investing in it since the mid-2010s, because a dynamic space sector also means having an…

"The 6.2-meter-tall vehicle is made of carbon composite, which gives it a liftoff mass of 1,268 lb; at its heart is the 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine that Agnikul manufactured in-house, each of which provides 6.2 kN of thrust."

This is like they clubbed together processes which Russia seems to use for manufacturing of some of its Novator cruise missiles. That technology must have transferred over somehow and they are just adapting it for space. It's great they adapted a military technology for something else (though I expect it will stay military), but it's nothing novel.

Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#16

Post by alephnerd »

aamoyg wrote: post #15
alephnerd wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Here's a better article - https://techcrunch.com/2024/05/29/india-agnikul-3d-printed-r... > There are only a few players in private space which print rocket engines, and our very own SpaceX was one of the first to pioneer this The US isn't the only country with a large private space sector. China and India have both been heavily investing in it since the mid-2010s, because a dynamic space sector also means having an…

"The 6.2-meter-tall vehicle is made of carbon composite, which gives it a liftoff mass of 1,268 lb; at its heart is the 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine that Agnikul manufactured in-house, each of which provides 6.2 kN of thrust." This is like they clubbed together processes which Russia seems to use for manufacturing of some of its Novator cruise missiles. That technology must have transferred over somehow and they…

> That technology must have transferred over somehow

Nope. Russia and Israel attempted that for India in the 1990s but were threatened by US sanctions for breaking MCTR.

Idk why you're so surprised that these kinds of domestic capabilities exist in India now.

India is fairly poor, but R&D capabilities have been strong, and there is an actual reverse brain drain going on from the US now that GC backlogs are multi-decade in length.

> it's nothing novel

It's a significant incremental development, as it drastically reduces the upfront cost for ballistic missiles or sub-orbital launches (eg. satellites), because you can manufacture much more faster. Plus, it is actually indigenous, which is a significant change.

Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#17

Post by philipwhiuk »

pm90 wrote: post #7

This is amazing. Strap several of those engines with a control system of some sort and you can basically launch a wide variety of payloads.

> control system of some sort

Control of multiple engines is non-trivial. You get fun stuff like plume interactions between the engines.

Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#18

Post by philipwhiuk »

nordsieck wrote: post #12
alephnerd wrote: post #5

> feature eight engines in total and able to carry a 300-kilogram payload to an altitude of around 700 km. The launch vehicle used in May’s test was only 6 meters tall Significant military implications as well [0]. There is a significant spy-sat race going on in the region right now [1] with China, India, UAE, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan, South Korea, North Korea, Russia, Iran, Israel, etc all investing in capabilities i…

> Also has an impact in enhancing India's Ballistic Missile strategy used to combat a two-front war [2], because Missiles are to Indian military strategy what Drones are for Chinese military strategy. Almost no one uses liquid fueled Ballistic Missiles any more (I think China is the only one) because they are so operationally terrible. The eventual rocket sounds like it's a hair larger than RocketLab's Electron. Whic…

> But at the same time, I really wish that companies stopped making small-lift rockets. There's just no way for them to work financially.

Making a small launch vehicle is seen as necessary to attract the level of funding needed for a medium or heavy lift launch vehicle

Re: Indian startup 3D prints rocket engine in 72 hours

#19

Post by boringg »

alephnerd wrote: post #16
aamoyg wrote: post #15

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"The 6.2-meter-tall vehicle is made of carbon composite, which gives it a liftoff mass of 1,268 lb; at its heart is the 3D-printed semi-cryogenic engine that Agnikul manufactured in-house, each of which provides 6.2 kN of thrust." This is like they clubbed together processes which Russia seems to use for manufacturing of some of its Novator cruise missiles. That technology must have transferred over somehow and they…

> That technology must have transferred over somehow Nope. Russia and Israel attempted that for India in the 1990s but were threatened by US sanctions for breaking MCTR. Idk why you're so surprised that these kinds of domestic capabilities exist in India now. India is fairly poor, but R&D capabilities have been strong, and there is an actual reverse brain drain going on from the US now that GC backlogs are multi-deca…

I don't think people are moving back to India for jobs last time I checked if thats what your implying with your reverse brain drain comment.
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