India’s space startup Agnikul delays maiden rocket launch again

Indian aerospace startup Agnikul Cosmos postponed the maiden launch of its Agnibaan rocket again, people at the launch site said on Saturday, citing technical issues.
The people said, the company postponed the liftoff while conducting pre-launch checks. The rocket maker delayed the Agnibaan launch last month without giving a clear reason.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi pushes for the privatisation and commercialisation of the space sector, Agnikul is seeking to conduct India’s second private rocket launch, following startup Skyroot’s 2022 launch of the Vikram-S rocket.
Last month, Kairos, a small, solid-fuel rocket made by Japan’s Space One, exploded seconds into its inaugural launch as the firm tried to become the first Japanese company to put a satellite in orbit.
According to the company, the Agnibaan is a customisable, two-stage launch vehicle that can carry a payload of up to 300 kg into orbit of about 700 km.