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Agnikul Cosmos, an Indian space tech startup looking to take advantage of the massive space travel opportunity of the next decade, has been grabbing headlines in the recent times. From signing deals with Alaska Aerospace Corporation in the US, to signing an MoU with ISRO for accessing its infrastructure and technical expertise, Agnikul Cosmos has made giant leaps since its inception in 2017. This IIT Madras incubated startup is currently working on its popular launch vehicle Agnibaan and looks to carry out its first launch in 2022. This Agnibaan launch rocket is being developed to carry up to 100-kg small satellites to low orbit Earth. 

The space company looks to provide a cab-like service to small satellite manufacturers, enabling them to launch from anywhere and anytime from across the globe. Agnikul Cosmos is also looking at ways in which space transportation can be made more affordable and more accessible, for research, technology development, and businesses. In the future, it looks to do at least 20-25 launches every year.  

agnikul cosmos infograph Agnikul Cosmos

Gadgets 360 spoke to Srinath Ravichandran, co-founder and CEO, Agnikul Cosmos to know a bit more about the company’s journey so far and its future plans.  

1. What were you doing before you began Agnikul Cosmos?        

I am an electrical engineer turned Wall Street trader turned aerospace engineer. I have a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from College of Engineering, Guindy, and Masters degree in financial engineering from Columbia University and aerospace engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign. When I was working in finance, I realised that my heart was really in engineering. So, I took a leap of faith with quitting the finance job and looks like it has been going okay so far. 

2. What motivated you to begin Agnikul Cosmos? How did you meet your fellow co-founder?    

Story goes back to 2015, when I was in Los Angeles, I visited a lot of universities and other companies and saw that every place worth something had a small satellite waiting to be launched. So, I saw a problem for small satellites accessing space through conventional launch vehicles. It felt similar to what we see in rideshare through ground transportation – say in a bus along with other people – there should be space in the bus, the bus should go to the same place that you want to go and it will start only after the bus is full. All these were pain points for the small satellite manufacturers, we wanted to address this with a cab like solution which can be launched from anywhere and anytime in the globe. This led to the core idea behind Agnikul Cosmos.  

Along with my then friend and now cofounder – Moin, who was running his own business, we decided to pursue this idea a bit. We felt, academic institutions are a good way to start. We created a list of IITs which were working on aerospace related technologies. We cold called and mailed about 70-80 professors. One such cold call got us introduced to Professor Satya Chakkaravarthy from IIT Madras. He believed in our idea and told us that he found the concept of a quick cab service to space quite interesting. Agnikul was basically born at that moment. 

3. What was it like in the first year of being in business? What are your key learnings from the early days?         

Early days were all about figuring out stuff. Though Moin had run businesses in the past and I had networked a lot with multiple startups, doing something in aerospace hardware was new to both of us. Figuring this out and getting a road map out of the idea was the key challenge in the first year. Our key learnings included trying to come up with a story that one could give an investor, and how to pitch ourselves to customers. Luckily, we have always had the support of retired ISRO scientists through Professor Chakravarthy. So, the challenges from a hardware front were more about implementation of the product as opposed to the core design or strategy needed.  

4. What are the challenges in building space technology in the country? 

The main challenge used to be policy and regulation. There was no regulatory authority to license our activities earlier. But currently with the creation of IN-SPACe and policy changes, we see space becoming the next big thing in India. We as a country I believe are in the right place at the right time. 

5. What was the impact of the COVID-19 crisis on your plans?    

As a hardware company, it was very difficult for us to manage the situation without doing any actual hardware testing which created an impact in our launch timeline. During the second wave, we stopped all our Liquid oxygen based testing in order to support the country in the oxygen crisis. However, as a team, we planned all activities in a phased manner despite COVID and we successfully qualified our single piece 3D printed engine right through the crisis. We also created extensive vendor databases to help us have multiple backups in case of problems of supply chain and procurement through the crisis. 

6. In which year did Agnikul Cosmos make considerable progress? Could you offer more details on what happened through that year?    

Every year has been huge in its own way. From our start in December 2017, each year we were able to hit some meaningful milestone. Thankfully, if we have to pick, 2021 has been a remarkable year for us so far as we have tested our second stage engine and also raised our series A which is India’s largest space tech funding round. In addition, we also signed an MoU with the Department of Space which has pushed us much closer towards our dream of launching from Indian soil. 

7. What products have you built so far? What are you working on? 

At present, we are working on testing and integration of various subsystems of Agnibaan. We have successfully designed, realised and qualified our engines. We have successfully fabricated all propulsion subsystems such as pumps and motors and we are actively placing orders for many of the large components of the vehicle such as tanks and structural subsystems. We are planning for our first launch by the end of 2022. 

8. Could you help give a sense of how far Agnikul Cosmos has come in these few years? From when it began to where it is now.  

We incorporated in December 2017 as a four-member team, now we have close to 100 members (YoY – 4, 12, 36, 50, 100) from various backgrounds working together with a dream of making space accessible to everyone. We have raised close to $15 million (roughly Rs. 112 crores)  funding raised over three years of funding every year since 2019 ($0.5 million, $3.5 million, $11 million) and signed a MoU with India Space Research Organisation for utilising their infrastructure and technical expertise. We have also signed agreements with supporting agencies like Leafspace for ground stations. In addition, we have onboarded a few customers across the globe to launch with us. We are still a pre revenue company with customer Letters of Intent steadily increasing over the years. 

9.   How did the ISRO partnership come about? Apart from infrastructure access, how else will it help the business?  

Agnikul is the first company to sign agreements with ISRO including an MoU with ISRO (which happened very recently). This MoU will provide us access to infrastructure for testing multiple subsystems such as engines and avionics packages. Working out of ISRO facilities will give us invaluable guidance besides accelerating our time to get the product flight ready. In addition, we see this partnership as a major step in allowing private players in space sectors to work alongside ISRO. Also, this will help us review our designs with ISRO experts. 

10. Could you speak about the unique 3D-printing tech that you use to build your rockets?  

Most of the parts of our launch vehicle are made through 3D printing. We rely on 3D printing to reduce the fabrication and turnaround time. We have recently realised and qualified our fully 3D printed, single piece and semi cryogenic engine – Agnilet. This will be part of the second stage of our vehicle and it’s one of its kind in the world. We have realised the full-scalemodel and showcased it for the first time in IAC, Dubai.  

11. Is India ready for a space-tech revolution? How long before we have companies that do work at a scale like SpaceX in India? 

With the efforts of our Honourable Prime Minister, Indian Space Research Organisation, space is becoming the next booming thing in India. Environment is very favourable for space startups now and with the number of space companies raising investment, the day is not so far. Very soon India will have its own SpaceX up and running. 

12. Have you thought about ways in which you could reduce the cost of space travel? 

We are a space transportation company – everything that we do has an angle of space travel cost reduction. Starting from highly modular vehicle designs, to efficient energy management systems such as new age batteries, to engines that can be easily manufactured, we believe the cost of space travel can be drastically reduced when one is able to iterate hardware at the speed of software.  

13. What are the other plans for the future?   

Future plans exist from scaling to do at least 20-25 launches a year (a launch on-demand every 2 weeks). We also have plans to make the rocket extremely customisable and tailor it specifically for each satellite’s needs – all satellites are special enough to demand a rocket of their own.  

14. How long before space travel becomes as common as air travel?  

I expect this to be taking 15 years or so in India. Globally, it could happen in seven to eight years. Three things have to happen before we get here – A) Cost of travel has to come down meaningfully, B) Awareness on how reachable space is should go up, C) Rocket Science should not be “rocket science” to get here. Companies such as ourselves are working on all of these areas to make space transportation as common as air transportation. 

15. Do you have any management mantra/ advice that you’d like to share with future entrepreneurs?          

You won’t always have luck but all you have to do is try till that point. I have always had this belief and tell my teammates as well. If you take a graph, and try to plot output vs. hard work, sometimes, for the same amount of hard work you will get more output, you never know when this phase will come. All you have to do is continue with steady, consistent brute force effort and, one day things will suddenly be in your favour. 

16. What is the employee strength? Is Agnikul Cosmos hiring currently?  

We are currently a 100-member team and we are scaling rapidly. We are hiring people for various verticals currently, please do check out our careers page for details and drop your resume at humancapital@agnikul.in too. Anyone who is really really good at anything, has a place at Agnikul! 

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Profluent Unveils AI DNA Editor Generator OpenCRISPR to Cure Diseases

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Profluent Unveils AI DNA Editor Generator OpenCRISPR to Cure Diseases

Profluent, a California-based artificial intelligence (AI)-first protein design company, announced its AI model that can generate CRISPR-like proteins that do not occur in nature on Tuesday. CRISPR or Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats is a complex containing important proteins that scientists can use for precise gene editing in organisms. The company claims the usage of AI can create a vast number of such proteins that can help in creating bespoke cures for diseases which, at present, remain incurable.

Ali Madani, the founder and CEO of Profluent announced the AI model in a series of posts on X (formerly known as Twitter). The company has also made a blog post detailing the initiative and a pre-print version of its research paper has been published on bioRxiv. Besides announcing the DNA editor-generating AI model, the company also launched OpenCRISPR-1, one of the AI-created gene editors, as an initial open-source release licencing it for both ethical research and commercial uses.

Why OpenCRISPR AI Model matters

While CRISPR is a major focus of scientists, the research is limited due to the protein Cas9, which acts as a gene editor, and its equivalent being only available in nature. As a result, scientists spend a significant amount of time discovering different types of gene editors and their impact. Profluent claims its AI model, which is powered by an in-house large language model (LLM) trained on “massive scale sequence and biological context”, can now generate millions of diverse CRISPR-like proteins that do not occur in nature. In theory, these synthetic gene editors can play a pivotal role in finding cures for diseases previously thought to be incurable.

In its blog post, the company said, “OpenCRISPR-1 gene editor maintains the prototypical architecture of a Type II Cas9 nuclease but is more than 400 mutations away from SpCas9 and nearly 200 mutations away from any other known natural CRISPR-associated protein.”

What is CRISPR

CRISPR, put simply, is a complex or system found in bacteria and some other unicellular organisms. This complex contains the Cas9 (or similar proteins like Cas12 and Cas13) proteins that have a specific ability to make precise cuts in gene strands of DNA to enable editing. It was first discovered in 1987, and ever since scientists have been researching it extensively. The technology has vast applications and has already been used to artificially create crop variants that have a higher yield, are resistant to diseases, and are drought tolerant.

It is also used to change the DNA of mosquitoes so that they cannot spread diseases like malaria. Experiments are being conducted to cure patients suffering from diseases such as sickle-cell anaemia. It is also theorised that the technology can be used to edit the DNA of the embryo to create babies who are naturally resistant to diseases and possess genes that promote higher physical and mental abilities.


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Watch Boston Dynamics’ New Atlas Robot Show Off Superhuman Movements

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Watch Boston Dynamics’ New Atlas Robot Show Off Superhuman Movements

Boston Dynamics unveiled the next generation of its humanoid Atlas robot on Wednesday. The announcement came just a day after the company retired the hydraulic Atlas robot. The new Atlas is fully electric and comes with several upgrades over the predecessor, including a superhuman range of motion. In a video, the slender and more athletic robot was shown moving in ways that defy human anatomy. The robotics giant claims it will be able to lift and manoeuvre a wide variety of objects.

In a video posted on YouTube, Boston Dynamics introduced the electric Atlas robot designed for real-world applications. Based on the demo, the new robot now has an entirely different design. It no longer possesses a heavy torso plate or carries a wider upper body. The new Atlas has a slender, metallic torso, longer and straighter limbs, no externally connected cables, and a ring light circling its head.

The demo begins with Atlas lying on the ground. As it boots up, the humanoid robot twists and folds its legs backwards over its body and then stands up as it twists its waist by 180 degrees as if a creature from a sci-fi horror movie. In the next few moments, it rotates its head a couple of times showcasing its head that appears to be a large camera lens and walks away taking straighter and concise strides.

In less than a minute, the video demonstrated that the new Atlas robot is not only more agile and flexible, it might also potentially move heavier objects given its larger limbs. Explaining its vision, Boston Dynamics said in a press release, “We designed the electric version of Atlas to be stronger, more dexterous, and more agile. Atlas may resemble a human form factor, but we are equipping the robot to move in the most efficient way possible to complete a task, rather than being constrained by a human range of motion.”

Currently, the electric Atlas is in testing and it will stay that way for the next few years. In this period, the company plans to explore multiple new gripper variations to enable the robot to perform a diverse set of tasks. The testing phase will include a limited number of customers, with Hyundai being the first in the line.


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Solar Eclipse 2024: List of Upcoming Eclipses, Safety Tips, and More

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Solar Eclipse 2024: List of Upcoming Eclipses, Safety Tips, and More

The first solar eclipse of 2024 is all set to darken the skies on April 8. This particular event will be a total solar eclipse, a rare occurrence on Earth. After this event, the next total solar eclipse in the same region will not be seen for two more decades. A total solar eclipse of similar impact is expected in 2044. This event will mainly be visible in North America, including Mexico, the US, and Canada. While a few more territories will observe it partially, the rest of the world cannot see it directly. Here’s everything you need to know about the latest solar eclipse, along with a list of all upcoming solar eclipses and more.

 

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: Date, Time, and Place

The total solar eclipse of 2024 will occur on April 8. The total darkening of the sky, also known as totality, will be visible across a 185-kilometre stretch between Mexico, the US, and Canada. It will start on Mexico’s Pacific coast at 11:07am PDT, and the eclipse will end on the Atlantic coast of Newfoundland, Canada, at 5:16pm NDT. As many as 18 different US States will also get to see it.

The total solar eclipse will not be visible from India. It will begin at 9:12 pm IST, a few hours after the Sun is set. Totality will start at 10:08pm IST, and the eclipse will end at 2:22am IST on April 9.

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: How to Watch it Live Online

While people in India and other countries, excluding North America, cannot physically witness the total solar eclipse, astronomy enthusiasts can still follow it online. There will be multiple live streams covering this rare celestial event. NASA will start its live stream on April 8 at 5:00pm GMT (10:30pm IST) and continue until 8:00pm GMT (1:30am IST). You can watch the stream here.

Skywatching website timeanddate.com will also live stream the total solar eclipse on its YouTube channel starting at 4:30pm GMT (10:00pm IST) on April 8. The stream will provide real-time updates and background information as well.

Finally, the University of Maine will send a high-altitude science balloon into the sky and live stream a view of the total solar eclipse from the stratosphere. It can be watched here on April 8, starting at noon GMT (5:30pm IST).

Total Solar Eclipse 2024: List of Countries to Watch the Celestial Event

The total solar eclipse of 2024 will only be visible in some parts of Mexico, the US, and Canada.

List of Upcoming Solar Eclipse

According to data from timeanddate.com, the following solar eclipses are expected to be observed from the Earth.

Date Type Location
April 8, 2024 Total North America
October 2, 2024 Annular North and South America
March 29, 2025 Partial Europe, North Asia, North and West Africa
September 29, 2025 Partial South Australia
February 17, 2026 Annular Southern Africa, South America
August 12, 2026 Total Europe, North Asia
February 6, 2027 Annular Africa, South America
August 2, 2027 Total Europe, South Asia

What is a Solar Eclipse?

A solar eclipse is an astronomical phenomenon where the Moon passes between the Earth and the Sun and blocks the Sun’s light either entirely or partially. These events are infrequent and occasional since the Moon needs to be in the same plane as the Sun and the Earth, which does not always happen. Even when an alignment does occur, it is more likely to be partial than full. This is the reason why total solar eclipses are so rare.

On average, the Earth can get between two to five solar eclipses in a year. However, most of these are partial eclipses and are not very noticeable. Total eclipses are dramatic and turn the sky dark, but they are only visible from a few locations. This is why the opportunity to experience an eclipse is often called a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Different Types of Solar Eclipses

There are three types of solar eclipses. A solar eclipse can be defined as partial, total, or annular, depending on the Moon’s position. Here are the full details:

Partial solar eclipse: A partial solar eclipse occurs when the Moon partially covers the Sun, but some of the Sun’s light can still reach the Earth. When a partial solar eclipse occurs, a portion of the Sun appears to have vanished. It can be observed in a larger area.

Total solar eclipse: A total solar eclipse occurs when the Moon and the Sun are on the same plane, and the Moon is at such a distance from the Earth that it covers the Sun for a brief period. Unlike a partial solar eclipse, it is usually visible from a smaller strip of land.

Annular solar eclipse: Finally, during an annular solar eclipse, the Moon is placed far away from the Earth and is unable to cover the Sun entirely. At the peak of this solar eclipse, the Moon covers the central portion of the Sun, and only a ring of light can be seen from the Earth.

Things to Remember to View Upcoming Solar Eclipse Safely

While it is never recommended to look directly at the Sun since its intense brightness and harmful ultraviolet radiation can cause permanent damage to the unaided eye, this becomes even more important during a solar eclipse. Darkened skies can create a false impression that the Sun’s intensity is reduced and that it is safe to look at it; however, any escaping sunlight will cause the same amount of damage to the eye. This is why precautions must always be taken before viewing a solar eclipse event.

1. People should use safe solar viewing glasses when watching a solar eclipse directly.

2. Regular sunglasses, no matter how dark, are not safe to look at the Sun directly.

3. Binoculars, camera lenses, telescopes, or any other optical devices should not be used with solar viewing glasses, as concentrated solar rays can burn through the filter.

4. Proper solar filters should be added to optical devices before viewing the Sun through them.

5. If solar glasses are unavailable, people can opt for indirect viewing of the solar eclipse. NASA highlighted the pinhole projector method, where a small hole punched into an index card can project an image of the Sun on a surface through which the eclipse can be seen.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

What is so special about the solar eclipse 2024?

The 2024 total solar eclipse is one of the rare celestial events that occur across the globe. It will be the most watched solar eclipse as it passes through various large cities. Moreover, it is also the last total solar eclipse across the United States for 20 years.  

How long will the 2024 eclipses last?

According to official NASA data, the total solar eclipse will last 4 minutes and 28 seconds. In most places, it will be visible for approximately 3.5 and 4 minutes. 

What is the timing of solar eclipse on 8 April 2024?

As per the Indian Standard Time (IST), the total solar eclipse will start at 9:12 pm, while the totality will begin at 10:08 pm. The eclipse will end on April 9, 2024, at 2:22 am. 

Is the April 8th solar eclipse visible in India?

Sadly, the total solar eclipse will only be visible in the United States and not in India. 
 

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