Astrobase Unveils 800 kN EVEREST Engine To Boost India’s Private Launch Capability

Bengaluru: Astrobase Space Technologies Co-founder and CEO Neeraj Khandelwal said the company’s unveiling of EVEREST, an 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) LOX-Methane rocket engine, marked an important step towards building India’s privately developed launch infrastructure and strengthening reusable launch capabilities.

Speaking to mediapersons here on Monday he said EVEREST had been designed and engineered entirely by Astrobase’s in-house engineering team and would serve as the propulsion system for reusable medium-lift launch vehicles. The engine is intended to support commercial, strategic and national missions.

“EVEREST is not merely an engine development programme. It is part of our larger effort to build an integrated launch ecosystem in India, covering propulsion, advanced manufacturing, testing, vehicle integration and launch operations,” Khandelwal said.

He said the engine delivers 800 kN of thrust, has a throttle range of 50% to 110% and offers a specific impulse of around 340 seconds. The LOX-Methane propulsion system has been designed with reusability and faster launch turnaround in mind.

“India needs the industrial capacity to manufacture and test high-thrust engines at scale if we want to substantially increase our share of the global space economy,” he said.

Khandelwal said Astrobase plans to manufacture up to 50 EVEREST engines annually. The company’s first phase targets around 100 tonnes of annual launch capacity, while the second phase is expected to take the capacity beyond 1,000 tonnes through a higher launch cadence.

“We are building the infrastructure not only to manufacture engines but also to test, qualify and integrate them into launch vehicles. Once the facilities are fully operational, our objective is to achieve a rapid production and testing cycle,” he said.

Astrobase plans to manufacture and test around 20 engines before attempting its first orbital flight. The company is developing an integrated chain covering propulsion manufacturing, high-flow testing, stage integration, vehicle qualification and launch operations.

Khandelwal said the next major milestone would be the full-engine hot-fire test. This will be followed by vehicle integration and further development towards the first orbital launch.

The unveiling was attended by Rajeev Jyoti, Distinguished Scientist and Director, Technical Directorate, IN-SPACe, along with Astrobase co-founder Devakumar T., Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla and Indian Space Association Director General Lt. Gen. A.K. Bhatt.