New Delhi, July 20 -- India's private space sector is entering a new phase of the launch race. The challenge is no longer only to build a rocket that can reach space but also to determine how much of that rocket can be recovered, reused and put to work again.

Agnikul Cosmos is preparing to test that proposition with Mission-02, a planned mission that will attempt to recover an orbital-class rocket booster after launch and demonstrate an upper stage that can continue operating in orbit after completing its primary mission.

The mission is expected to use a two-stage version of Agnikul's Agnibaan launch vehicle. The first stage is planned to perform a controlled descent and splash down in the ocean for recovery. The upper stage, meanwhile,...