- Astrobase Space Technologies unveiled “Everest”, an 800 kN-class Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) rocket engine.
- Claimed as India’s first privately developed high-thrust FFSC engine.
- Uses LOX + methane propellants.
- Target thrust: 800 kN (~80-tonne thrust class).
- Target specific impulse: ~340 seconds.
- Designed for a reusable medium-lift launch vehicle.
- Not hot-fire tested yet — still at the pre-test stage.
- Astrobase says 70%+ of the engine is indigenously developed/manufactured.
- Company claims it is only the 4th commercial company globally to develop/manufacture a high-thrust FFSC engine.
- Targeting first orbital flight: December 2028.
- Initial target: 100 tonnes of payload to orbit/year, eventually scaling to 1,000+ tonnes/year.
Key caveat: This is a major propulsion-development milestone, but Everest is not yet a flight-proven engine. Hot-fire testing, qualification and vehicle integration are still ahead.
