When Women Engineers Lead, Innovation in Space Accelerates, Says Mission Director for Agnibaan

I completed my B.Tech in Aeronautical Engineering from the Madras Institute of Technology. When I first decided to pursue aerospace engineering, my parents initially wanted me to consider other careers, especially medicine. However, I was more inclined toward mechanical systems and hardware-based work.

I wanted to pursue something challenging and different from the usual career paths. Aerospace felt like a field where I could work closely with hardware rather than software or electronics. At the time, many people told me that building a career in aerospace would be difficult because job opportunities were limited. Even studying aeronautical engineering at MIT was considered challenging.

Despite that, I chose aerospace because I wanted to work on complex engineering systems and real hardware. That curiosity eventually shaped my career path.

I joined Agnikul through a campus interview. During my B.Tech, Agnikul was one of the very few organizations in Chennai working on launch vehicle development. Until then, the only organization I knew that built launch vehicles was ISRO, and getting into ISRO was extremely competitive.

I was curious about how a private company could build launch vehicles from Chennai itself, especially from the IIT Madras ecosystem. I wanted to understand the design process, hardware development, and the engineering behind launch vehicles. That curiosity is what led me to join Agnikul.

Initially, I worked on subsystem-level testing. For example, in propulsion systems there are several components like igniters, injectors, and other modules that need testing individually before integration. Later, I moved on to engine testing and larger system-level work.

Eventually, I was given the opportunity to lead a mission as Project Director for Agnibaan’s automation systems, which was possible because the founders trusted young engineers with responsibility.

Today, we are doing very well in both defense and aerospace. When I graduated around five to six years ago, there were very few aerospace startups in India. In fact, when I was in my final year, there were hardly any companies working directly in the field I had studied.

Now the situation has completely changed. There are many startups entering the aerospace ecosystem, each trying to build innovative solutions. This has created a culture of innovation because startups must differentiate themselves technically in order to survive.

There are two main aspects driving innovation today: Technological differentiation Startups are trying new ideas and complex engineering solutions to stand out. Cost efficiency – Launch services must be economically competitive. To offer lower-cost launch services, companies need to innovate at the subsystem level and reduce the cost of each component.

For example, Agnikul works on semi-cryogenic pump-fed systems, which provide greater flexibility in configuring launch vehicles for different payload requirements.

Agnikul is developing launch vehicles using semi-cryogenic engines with electric pump-fed cycles.

Our launch vehicle is designed to be configurable. This means that depending on the payload weight and mission requirement, we can modify the vehicle configuration by adding or removing modules or engines.

This flexibility allows us to tailor the launch vehicle to the customer’s payload capacity. Instead of using a fixed launch vehicle configuration for all missions, we can optimize the vehicle design to match the payload, making the system more efficient and cost-effective.

When I joined, I saw several women already leading important teams. Over time, I have seen more women stepping into leadership roles across departments.

Currently, around 30–40% of the workforce at Agnikul consists of women, and many teams are led by women engineers. That representation has been encouraging.

Working on the Agnibaan mission has been particularly exciting because we are attempting several innovations that are being implemented for the first time in India.

In aerospace projects, testing phases often simulate high-pressure situations. At Agnikul, engineers gain experience through subsystem testing, engine testing, and full-system tests.

These stages naturally train engineers to make decisions under pressure. During such phases, teamwork becomes extremely important. Whenever challenges arise, the team works collectively to analyze the system and resolve the issue.

The support from the team and the guidance from our founders, Srinath and Moin, played a very important role during the mission.