Astrobase Unveils Everest, India’s First Private 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion Rocket Engine
Bengaluru-based space startup Astrobase Space Technologies has revealed its 800 kN-class Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) rocket engine, named Everest. The liquid oxygen and methane-powered engine is designed to power the company’s planned reusable medium-lift launch vehicle, marking an expansion for India’s private space industry into high-thrust orbital propulsion technologies.
What Happened
Astrobase Space Technologies unveiled Everest on Friday, presenting it as India’s first privately developed high-thrust FFSC rocket engine. The engine operates in the 80-ton (800 kN) thrust class and is engineered with an expected specific impulse of approximately 340 seconds. It features a throttling range between 50 percent and 110 percent, a capability designed to enable controlled ascent and landing sequences for reusable rocket stages.
According to the company, Everest has been designed in-house and manufactured in Bengaluru, with more than 70 percent of components produced domestically. Critical items not yet available locally, such as specialized sensors, are sourced through imports. Astrobase claims to be only the fourth commercial company worldwide to fully design, manufacture, and integrate a high-thrust FFSC engine architecture.
Key Highlights
- Propulsion Type: Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) engine utilizing liquid oxygen and methane propellants.
- Performance Metrics: 800 kN claimed thrust, approximately 340 seconds targeted specific impulse, and a 50 percent to 110 percent throttle range.
- Domestic Manufacturing: Over 70 percent indigenous production in Bengaluru, India.
- Long-Term Capacity Goals: Astrobase is targeting an annual orbital payload capacity of 100 tonnes initially, with plans to scale beyond 1,000 tonnes annually.
- Development Stage: The engine is currently in a pre-test phase, with initial hot-fire testing anticipated in the coming months.
Why This Matters
Full-Flow Staged Combustion is regarded as one of the most demanding cycles in aerospace engineering because it requires managing extreme pressures, high temperatures, and severe turbomachinery loads simultaneously. In an FFSC architecture, both the fuel and oxidizer streams are completely gasified prior to reaching the main combustion chamber, maximizing combustion efficiency and improving thermal conditions for the turbopumps.
Astrobase CEO Neeraj Khandelwal noted that global launch capabilities remain heavily concentrated in the United States and China. By pursuing domestic high-thrust propulsion, Astrobase aims to address launch capacity constraints and establish an alternative launch provider leveraging India’s technical talent base.
What to Watch Next
Everest remains at an early developmental stage and has not yet conducted hot-fire ground trials. Moving forward, the company must execute several milestones:
- Commencing initial hot-fire engine test firings in the coming months.
- Undergoing extensive performance validation, repeated ground tests, and formal flight qualification.
- Integrating the engine into a complete medium-lift launch vehicle.
- Targeting the vehicle’s inaugural orbital flight by December 2028, followed by commercial launch operations.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the Everest rocket engine?
Everest is an 800 kN-class Full-Flow Staged Combustion rocket engine developed by Astrobase Space Technologies to power reusable medium-lift orbital launch vehicles.
What propellants does Everest use?
The engine runs on a combination of liquid oxygen and methane propellants.
When is the first flight planned?
Astrobase has set a target date of December 2028 for the vehicle’s first orbital flight, though the engine must first undergo hot-fire testing and full qualification.
Source: Reported based on disclosures and statements provided by Astrobase Space Technologies to Firstpost.