"Is Rocket Science Really That Hard?"| Srinath Ravichandran, Co-Founder & CEO, AgniKul Cosmos

[00:01:36] Rocket Science: The basics and all about rockets

[00:02:53] Satellites: Evolution from 5 tons to 500 Kgs

[00:06:20] Rockets: Still stuck in the past

[00:09:18] Evolution of the Space Industry: Entry and impact of SpaceX 

[00:12:12] Launching a Satellite into Space: What happens after it gets into Space?

[00:17:25] Government Controlled to Private Companies: The steps that led here in the Space industry

[00:21:40] The India Story: Transformation of the Space policy

[00:25:32] ISRO’s Successful Launches: The factors that contribute to this success

[00:28:36] AgniKul Innovations: The importance of the ‘firsts’ in AgniKul

[00:32:04] 3D-Printed Rockets: Additive manufacturing explained

[00:37:12] Metal Additive Manufacturing: The challenges involved in using metal vs plastic

[00:38:28] Firsts in Rocket Software: Plug and play rocket software

[00:41:31] Third First in AgniKul: Ethernet Protocol for software

[00:43:04] Innovation in Launchpad: The first launch from a Mobile Launchpad

[00:45:09] Core Technologies and Mentorship: Development of new technologies and faculty support

[00:46:06] Launch Anywhere, Anytime, Affordably: The evolution of rocketry 

[00:49:24] Building the Team: Co-founders, mentors, interns and full time employees

[00:55:00] Countdown and Launch Stress: How does the team handle it?

[00:57:53] Srinath’s Journey: Wall Street, Film School and Storytelling to Space

[01:11:27] Work Life Balance: Balancing CEO duties and dad duties

[00:22:43] The IN-SPACE (Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre) was created to authorize private space missions and allow private satellites to be launched into space

[00:24:25] There have been situations when RBI (Reserve Bank of India) press release has impacted Fintech businesses adversely

[00:43:23] The launch pad for the AgniKul rocket was built on the Thaiyur campus of  IIT Madras

[01:10:56] The AgniKul rocket engines are made in the IIT Madras Research Park

[00:05:57] This episode was recorded in the week when Sunita Williams returned to Earth from the International Space Station.

[00:23:25] The Finance Minister of India, Nirmala Sitharaman announced the IN-SPACE policy as part of the Atma Nirbhar initiatives in May 2020.

[00:45:15] Professor Satya Chakravarthy has been a mentor for the team from even before the company started. 

[00:47:18] Amrut quips that Jeff Bezos has the money to pay 5 million dollars for a SpaceX rideshare

[00:50:47] Moin SPM is Srinath’s co-founder in AgniKul who used to play cricket with him.

[00:52:51] R V Perumal is the father of India’s PSLV rocket and used to work with ISRO earlier

[00:56:44] Srinath talks about reading about space elevators in one of Arthur C Clarke’s books 

[00:01:24] Swapnil Jain, the CTO of Ather, talked about doing a simulation of design work that was being done elsewhere during his interview.

[01:08:08] Amrut references a Steve Jobs speech about it being easier to figure out things retrospectively

[00:02:54] AgniKul builds 3D-printed rockets that take small satellites to space. 

[00:07:24] The Falcon9 rocket from SpaceX can take multiple satellites to space

[00:09:03] NASA, ISRO, ESA, and JAXA were the existing government players in the Space industry 

[00:19:43] JIO and Airtel have partnered with Starlink (SpaceX) to bring satellite internet services to India

[00:42:58] If a CISCO guy looked at the Agnikul rocket, it would be like a network is flying. 

[00:53:55] Finding the right people is a challenge even for companies like Swiggy and Zepto. 

[00:58:19] In India, the only option for a job after completing Aeronautical Engineering was either ISRO or DRDO

[00:58:49] Srinath worked with ABB after he completed his Engineering degree

[00:59:59] Amrut talks about fewer career options for engineers in 2006 and how he was only considering 3M and GM when he sat for placements

[01:01:53] Srinath’s idea of New York was what he had seen in Columbia Pictures and movies

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[00:04:51] The International Space Station is located at a height of 400 kms and completes one orbit around the Earth in 90 minutes

[00:05:19]The Starlink System is a satellite internet constellation operated by SpaceX, providing satellite Internet access to most of the Earth.

[00:05:26] LEO (Low Earth Orbit) is a class of satellites which are very close to the Earth and are at a distance of around 360 - 400 kms.

[00:14:34] The Max Q point is when a rocket is most vulnerable during its launch because it is travelling at really high speed through the dense atmosphere of the Earth.

[00:16:22] SpaceX achieved its first successful vertical landing on Earth in December 2015.

[00:17:04] Chopstick Landing refers to SpaceX's method of capturing a rocket booster in mid-air using two large mechanical arms, resembling chopsticks, on a launch tower.

[00:29:58] AgniKul’s first rocket was named Agnibaan, the technology was named SOrTeD and it was powered by an engine called Agnilet. 

[00:30:47] One Newton of thrust is the amount of force it takes to push a 1 kilogram object to move one meter per second faster every second.