According to reports, space technology start-ups are using 3D printing technology to achieve initial scale in manufacturing, before they can move towards traditional processes.

Reports suggest that, start-ups current production needs will be met using 3D printers, even though the technology is no comparison to industrial manufacturing using injection moulding.

Agnikul Srinath Ravichandran, CEO, Agnikul Cosmos says, “The company initially plans to fully 3D-print two rocket engines every week, and a total of eight engines per month, which will go into its in-house launch vehicle called Agnibaan.”

At present the start-up partners manufacturing vendors in Bengaluru and Chennai who use 3D printers, but it plans to start its own factory in future.

The initiation towards 3D printing is significant in the context of the government’s upcoming space policy.

As per reports, the policy will, for the first time, allow private space firms in India to run their own missions, increasing the need for these companies to manufacture their own products.
The alternative, which is sourcing internationally, is expensive for Indian space firms, most of which are still early stage startups.

The model is also proven overseas. US space firm Rocket Lab built its ,b>Capstone satellite using 3D printing.

The satellite, launched on 28 June, will survey the lunar surface, building up to the 2024 manned mission, called Artemis, being planned by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Pawan Kumar Chandana, CEO, Skyroot Aerospace says, “A rocket engine is a complicated machine, and building one typically requires hundreds of components. Such complications mean that if there is an engineering fault in any component within the engine, the percentage of error in the entire engine would rise, and so would its chances of failure. A 3D-printed rocket engine, however, is one block built based on a design template, using aerospace grade metals therefore, drastically reduces the chances of error in these engines.”