Launch · Government, Defense & Space

Agnikul Cosmos test-fires world's largest 3D-printed rocket engine

By Startup Enthusiast · 16 April 2026

What they do

Agnikul Cosmos builds small rockets with 3D-printed engines for affordable launches

It successfully test-fired the Agnite engine, the world's largest single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine

The engine is semi-cryogenic, reusable, and built in a week instead of months

Agnikul Cosmos successfully test-fired its Agnite engine, India's first semi-cryogenic engine.
The engine is the world's largest single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine.
It is 1 metre long and built using metal 3D printing with Inconel superalloy.
The single-piece construction has no welding or screws.
The engine uses Keralox (liquid oxygen + kerosene) as propellant and is reusable.
It was built in one week using laser powder bed fusion, versus months for conventional engines.
An earlier version was tested in 2024; this larger version is for commercial launches.

Indian spacetech startups raised ~$157 Mn in 2025, double the previous year.
India's spacetech market is $13 Bn and expected to grow to $40 Bn by 2030.
The Indian Space Policy 2023 reforms catalysed investor attention in the sector.
India is expected to become the world's third largest spacetech market by 2030.

Agnikul focuses on affordable and flexible launches using 3D-printed rocket engines.
It builds smaller rockets with payload capacity of about half a tonne.
The company uses 3D printing to reduce costs and shrink large engines to smaller ones.
Its fuel Keralox (liquid oxygen + kerosene) is similar to regular aircraft jet fuel.
The material Inconel alloy is a standard aerospace material, avoiding proprietary development.
The company was incubated at IIT Madras and founded in 2017.

Product: Reusable small-satellite launch vehicles and related launch infrastructure.
Customers: Satellite operators and space customers that need launch access.
How it makes money: Launch services and related aerospace engineering contracts.
What sets it apart: It is focused on recoverable rocket stages and reusable launch architecture.
Operations: It is expanding testing and manufacturing facilities in Chennai.