Bengaluru-based space startup Astrobase Space Technologies has unveiled Everest, an 80-tonne-class full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) rocket engine that the company says has been designed and manufactured entirely in India. The liquid oxygen and liquid methane-powered engine is designed to produce around 800 kilonewtons of vacuum thrust, putting it among the most advanced propulsion systems being pursued by India’s growing private space industry.
Everest is significant because FFSC is an unusually complex rocket-engine architecture associated with high efficiency and high-pressure operation. SpaceX’s Raptor uses the same basic propulsion cycle, and SpaceX is currently the only company to have flown an FFSC engine on an orbital rocket. Astrobase, however, has not yet completed a full-scale hot-fire test of Everest, meaning the engine’s performance still needs to be demonstrated under actual test conditions.
What Happened
Astrobase unveiled Everest on August 7, presenting what it describes as India’s first fully integrated and ready-to-test FFSC rocket engine. The company has developed the propulsion system at its Bengaluru facilities and plans to conduct full-scale testing at its private propulsion facility near Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh.
The engine is designed around methalox propulsion, using liquid methane as fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. Its target thrust is approximately 800 kN in vacuum, placing it in a class suitable for medium-lift launch vehicles rather than small satellite launchers.
Astrobase has already tested smaller versions of the technology. A scaled-down FFSC engine was fired successfully in September 2025, while high-speed propellant pump tests were conducted earlier in 2026. The company now plans to move toward full-scale hot-fire testing.
Everest Engine: Key Details
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Engine | Everest |
| Developer | Astrobase Space Technologies |
| Location | Bengaluru, India |
| Engine Class | 80-tonne class |
| Propellants | Liquid oxygen and liquid methane |
| Propulsion Cycle | Full-Flow Staged Combustion |
| Target Vacuum Thrust | Around 800 kN |
| Manufacturing | Designed and manufactured in India |
| Full-Scale Hot-Fire Test | Planned in Andhra Pradesh |
| Intended Application | Reusable medium-lift launch vehicle |
What Makes Full-Flow Staged Combustion Special?
Full-flow staged combustion is considered one of the most technically demanding liquid rocket-engine architectures.
In a conventional rocket engine, some propellant is used to generate hot gases that drive the turbopumps responsible for feeding fuel and oxidizer into the combustion chamber. In an FFSC engine, fuel and oxidizer are processed through separate pre-burners before the resulting gases drive their respective turbopumps and enter the main combustion chamber.
This architecture allows the engine to operate at very high chamber pressures while improving propellant utilization and reducing thermal stress on certain turbine components.
The complexity, however, makes FFSC engines difficult to design, manufacture and test. Small errors in turbomachinery, combustion stability, materials or thermal management can become major engineering problems when the engine operates at extreme pressures and temperatures.
How Everest Compares With SpaceX’s Raptor
Everest has attracted comparisons with SpaceX’s Raptor because both use full-flow staged combustion and methane-oxygen propulsion.
SpaceX uses Raptor engines to power Starship, while Astrobase intends to use multiple Everest engines on a future medium-lift launch vehicle. The common propulsion architecture does not mean the two engines have identical specifications or capabilities.
The important distinction is that Raptor has already accumulated flight experience, whereas Everest remains in the ground-testing phase. Astrobase’s next major milestone will therefore be demonstrating that its engine can reliably complete full-scale hot-fire tests.
Building India’s Private Rocket Propulsion Capability
The development is part of a wider effort to expand India’s private space ecosystem beyond satellite manufacturing and small launch systems.
Astrobase was founded in 2024 by Neeraj Khandelwal and Devakumar Thammisetty. The company operates a design and assembly facility in Bengaluru and has established a 21.5-acre test site near Anantapur for high-thrust propulsion testing.
The company has also received support through the Indian National Space Promotion and Authorization Centre’s Technology Adoption Fund. IN-SPACe selected Astrobase in June for development of an indigenous 800 kN LOX-methane FFSC engine, describing the project as part of efforts to strengthen domestic propulsion capabilities and reduce dependence on imported technologies.
Designed for Reusable Rockets
A major objective behind Everest is reusability.
Astrobase says the engine has throttle capability, which is important for controlling thrust during phases such as powered descent and landing. The company plans to combine multiple Everest engines on a medium-lift rocket intended to place satellites into low Earth orbit and recover the first stage for reuse.
Reusability has become increasingly important in the global launch industry because recovering and flying rocket stages multiple times can potentially reduce launch costs and shorten turnaround times.
For India, developing a domestically manufactured engine capable of supporting reusable launch systems could help private launch companies compete for a larger share of the global commercial launch market.
Manufacturing Technology Supports Development
Astrobase is also using large-scale metal 3D printing to manufacture complex engine components. Additive manufacturing can help propulsion companies produce intricate geometries that would be difficult or expensive to manufacture using conventional processes.
It can also shorten development cycles by allowing engineers to move more quickly from designs to physical prototypes.
However, producing an engine component through 3D printing is only one part of the challenge. The components must still meet stringent requirements for strength, thermal resistance, dimensional accuracy and reliability under extreme operating conditions.
From Ground Tests to an Orbital Rocket
Everest’s unveiling is an important development milestone, but it is not equivalent to a successful flight.
The company still needs to complete full-scale hot-fire testing and validate the engine under increasingly demanding operating conditions. Ground testing will provide information about combustion, turbopump performance, thermal behavior, thrust and structural integrity.
Once the engine has demonstrated sufficient reliability, it would need to be integrated into a complete launch vehicle and subjected to additional testing before an orbital mission.
Astrobase is targeting a first orbital flight in the late 2020s, according to India Today.
Why It Matters for India’s Space Industry
India’s space sector is undergoing a significant transition as private companies increasingly participate in launch services, satellite manufacturing and space infrastructure.
Rocket propulsion remains one of the most difficult parts of the launch industry to develop domestically. A successful indigenous high-thrust engine could therefore have implications well beyond a single startup.
It could support the development of larger launch vehicles, reduce dependence on foreign propulsion technologies and create opportunities for Indian suppliers involved in advanced manufacturing, materials, electronics and turbomachinery.
The IN-SPACe support for Astrobase’s 800 kN engine also reflects the government’s broader effort to help private companies move advanced space technologies from development toward commercial applications.
Competition and Challenges
Astrobase faces substantial technical and commercial challenges before Everest can become a flight-ready propulsion system.
The immediate test is full-scale hot-fire performance. A rocket engine must operate reliably not just once but repeatedly, with predictable performance across different throttle levels and operating conditions.
The company will also need to demonstrate that the engine can be manufactured consistently at scale. For a reusable rocket, durability and refurbishment requirements become just as important as initial performance.
Competition is another factor. India’s private space industry includes several companies working on launch vehicles and propulsion systems, while international players have years of operational experience in reusable rockets.
Industry Impact
If Everest progresses successfully from testing to flight, it could strengthen India’s position in the commercial launch market.
The ability to develop an advanced methane-powered reusable engine domestically would provide Indian launch companies with greater control over a critical part of the supply chain. It could also support a broader ecosystem of propulsion engineers, component manufacturers and specialized testing facilities.
More broadly, the project demonstrates that India’s private space sector is increasingly moving toward complex hardware development rather than focusing only on downstream space applications.
Looking Ahead
Everest’s unveiling represents an important milestone for Astrobase and India’s private space industry, but the most important stage is still ahead. The engine now needs to prove its design through full-scale hot-fire testing at the company’s Andhra Pradesh facility. If those tests validate the targeted thrust, stability, throttle capability and reliability, Astrobase will have a stronger foundation for developing the reusable medium-lift rocket it has outlined. The transition from a completed engine to a flight-qualified propulsion system will determine the project’s real commercial significance.
For India’s space sector, the development is worth watching because advanced propulsion could become a key differentiator as private companies compete for commercial and strategic launch opportunities. Investors, satellite operators and potential launch customers will likely focus on Everest’s test results, manufacturing scalability, engine reuse performance and progress toward an orbital vehicle. Success would strengthen India’s domestic launch capabilities, while setbacks during testing would provide an important reminder of the technical challenges involved in bringing an FFSC engine from the workshop to space.
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