Chennai’s Agnikul Cosmos has secured 17 million dollars at a valuation of about 500 million, marking one of its strongest funding rounds yet. The IIT-Madras–incubated startup, known for building 3D-printed rocket engines and small-sat launch vehicles, is gearing up for its next phase of growth as India’s private space sector gains momentum.
A growing push toward reusable rockets
Agnikul has already flown a sub-orbital rocket, and this new capital arrives just as Indian rocket makers like Agnikul and Skyroot prepare for their first full-scale orbital missions. The round brought in a mix of family offices and institutional investors, including Advenza Global, Atharva Green Ecotech, HDFC Bank, Artha Select Fund, Prathithi Ventures and 100X.VC.
The company plans to use the funds to scale manufacturing, increase launch cadence, and accelerate development of its stage-recovery programme aimed at building reusable small-sat launch vehicles.
A massive integrated space campus in the works
Agnikul is also developing a 350-acre integrated space campus in Tamil Nadu, combining design, manufacturing and testing facilities in one location. According to co-founder and CEO Srinath Ravichandran, the team is expanding its roadmap after its earlier controlled ascent test, which helped validate its engine and vehicle architecture. He said their next steps include lower-stage recovery and extended upper-stage capability to improve the economics of launch services.
Strong customer pipeline and rising demand
Co-founder and COO Moin SPM noted that more than a dozen customers are already lined up for upcoming launches, which makes scaling operations the next essential move. Investors share similar optimism. Arun Kumar of Celesta Capital said Agnikul is positioned to serve the booming global and domestic demand for low-earth-orbit satellite deployment. Anirudh Damani of Artha Select Fund added that Agnikul’s progress signals a turning point for India’s private space sector.
Building for global markets
Agnikul conducted India’s first private launch from a private launchpad last year using a single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine. The company now serves clients across India, the Middle East and Australia, and aims to strengthen its global footprint as it pushes toward more frequent launches and reusable systems
