The Indian narrative on space is now entering into a new era. Astrobase Space Technologies from Bengaluru has now announced the development of EVEREST, an 80 tonnes class rocket engine which, according to the company, happens to be India’s first ever privately made Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) engine. The engine is powered by the combination of liquid oxygen and liquid methane, and is an 800-kilonewtons class engine system for India’s burgeoning private space sector.
Everest is an appropriate name for such an engine. Full Flow Staged Combustion in rockets is considered to be one of the most challenging rocket engines to design in terms of technology. Unlike in the other types of rocket engines, in FFSC, almost all of the fuel and oxidizer are made to flow through separate pre-combustors before entering the main combustion chamber in order to provide high efficiency and high chamber pressure.
The significance of this breakthrough, however, stems from not only its scale but the type of propulsion architecture and the involvement of the private sector in the development process. According to the company, the 800 kN engine relies on LOX and methane in design and is aimed at high performance and reusability. Furthermore, throttling up to 50% to 110% of nominal thrust and use of 3D-printed core components constitute the characteristics of the proposed products according to the technical specifications provided by Astrobase.
The journey to EVEREST has been rather fast. Created in 2024, Astrobase has been developing propulsion technology as well as necessary facilities to test it. As per the company's press release, a sub-scale hot-fire test was successfully performed on the first attempt in September 2025. Astrobase has moved on to full-scale testing at its privately owned facility for propulsion testing located near Anantapur in Andhra Pradesh.
Moreover, the program has also gained support from institutions. In June 2026, IN-SPACe chose Astrobase as one of its beneficiaries under Technology Adoption Fund to help with developing the indigenous 800 kN LOX-methane FFSC engine. This project is part of India’s strategy of enhancing local space abilities and incentivizing local private firms to come up with sophisticated launch technologies.
It must be noted that the launch of EVEREST does not mark the end of testing procedures for this engine. The full-size model must still prove its ability to perform in real conditions through hot fire tests. Engines are subjected to harsh temperature and pressure conditions, and FFSC engines are especially challenging in many respects.
If the tests go well, the implications may stretch far beyond just one engine. Astrobase plans to build a reusable two-stage launch vehicle using its LOX-methane engines, with payloads measured in several tonnes to reach low Earth orbit. The roadmap announced by the company includes integrated vehicle tests, successful demonstrations of booster recovery and even an orbital mission towards the end of this decade.
Thus, EVEREST is not only a very powerful machine. This is also an example of how the Indian space ecosystem is changing—from being based on state missions to involving private players in more and more challenging propulsion and launching technologies.
The true mountain, however, is yet to come. Announcing EVEREST is the ascent; demonstrating its abilities in action is the climb. If Astrobase will succeed in bringing this 80-tonne FFSC engine from the workshop into full power operations and even to orbit, this could become one of the most significant milestones in the history of Indian private spaceflight.
Team Yuva Aaveg-
Adarsh Tiwari
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