In News:

Bengaluru-based Astrobase Space Technologies has unveiled EVEREST, India’s first privately built 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) LOX-Methane rocket engine, marking a significant step in the growth of India’s private space sector.

About EVEREST Engine

• EVEREST is designed to deliver 800 kN thrust, a specific impulse of about 340 seconds and a 50–110% throttle range.
• It is being developed for reusable medium-lift launch vehicles, with the company’s proposed architecture targeting around 3 tonnes to 500-km Low Earth Orbit (LEO) and return-to-launch-site recovery.
• The engine uses Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) technology, in which both the fuel and oxidiser pass through separate pre-burners before entering the main combustion chamber. The resulting gases drive the turbopumps and are subsequently fed into the chamber, enabling efficient propellant utilisation and high performance.
• The use of LOX-methane also offers relatively clean combustion and is suitable for reusable systems.

Development & Government Support

• Development began in 2024, with engine subsystems already undergoing testing. Full-scale hot-fire testing at Astrobase’s facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh, is a key 2026 milestone, followed by stage-level testing and vehicle integration. The company plans to manufacture and test around 20 engines before its first orbital flight, targeted for 2028.
• Astrobase is supported through IN-SPACe’s Technology Adoption Fund, which promotes private-sector development of advanced space technologies.