Consider the following statements with regard to involvement of private entities in India's space programme : 1. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) is an autonomous agency formed to facilitate participation of private entities. 2. Agnikul Cosmos launched the world's first flight using 3D-printed rocket engine. 3. Skyroot Aerospace has developed liquid fuel for GSLV. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Statement 1 is correct. The Indian National Space Promotion and Authorisation Centre (IN-SPACe) was established in 2020 as an autonomous, single-window nodal agency under the Department of Space (DOS). Its primary mandate is to promote, enable, authorise, and supervise the participation of Non-Governmental Entities (NGEs) or private players in India's space ecosystem.

Statement 2 is incorrect. Agnikul Cosmos, a private Indian space startup, successfully launched its 'Agnibaan SOrTeD' suborbital rocket in May 2024. While this was a historic milestone because it featured the world's first single-piece 3D-printed rocket engine (requiring no welds or joints), it was not the world's first-ever flight using a 3D-printed rocket engine. Other international aerospace companies, such as Rocket Lab with its Rutherford engines, have been launching rockets with 3D-printed engines for several years prior.

Statement 3 is incorrect. Skyroot Aerospace is a private Indian aerospace manufacturer known for launching India's first privately developed rocket, Vikram-S. However, it did not develop the liquid fuel or engines for the Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle (GSLV). The GSLV is a heavy-lift launch system operated by the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO), and its liquid stages (powered by the Vikas engine) and cryogenic upper stages were developed indigenously by ISRO's Liquid Propulsion Systems Centre.

Takeaway: Remember that India's major space startups focus on their own independent launch vehicles rather than fueling ISRO's legacy rockets. Skyroot develops the Vikram series, while Agnikul Cosmos develops the Agnibaan series—both facilitated by the IN-SPACe regulatory framework.