# India's Astrobase Space Technologies unveils EVEREST, the country's first privately built 800 kN full-flow staged combustion rocket engine > Bengaluru-based Astrobase Space Technologies unveiled EVEREST, an 800 kN liquid-oxygen-methane engine using full-flow staged combustion, which the company calls India's first privately developed engine in this class; a full hot-fire test is planned in 2026, with a first flight of its reusable launch vehicle targeted for December 2028 **Meta:** type: event · date: 2026-08-08 · heads: اللعبة الطويلة · 3 takes · 3 lenses · 1 regions ## Summary Bengaluru-based [Indian](/ar/entity/india) startup Astrobase Space Technologies unveiled EVEREST on August 8, an 800 kN liquid-oxygen-methane rocket engine that the company describes as India's first privately developed full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) engine. Full-flow staged combustion is the propulsion architecture used by SpaceX's Raptor engine, which powers the Starship vehicle. Astrobase plans a full-engine hot-fire test in late 2026 and a first flight of its reusable launch vehicle in December 2028. CEO Neeraj Khandelwal said EVEREST is "not a standalone technology demonstration" but "the foundation of an industrial capability that India will increasingly need." Three Indian outlets covered the announcement; no international space press is in the feed. India's space sector has seen rapid private-sector growth since the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) opened launch infrastructure to private operators in 2023, and the country has produced several reusable launch vehicle startups targeting the commercial satellite market. ## The split Coverage is entirely Indian and unanimously positive, drawing on Astrobase's own announcement and Khandelwal's prepared statements. News9Live led with the technical specifications; ETV Bharat and SMEStreet focused on the industrial and national-capability framing. No independent technical verification of the engine's performance claims was available in the feed, and no comparative context from global launch competitors or ISRO appeared. International space industry or aerospace engineering coverage is absent. ## By the numbers - 800 kN, rated thrust class of the EVEREST engine - 2, propellants: liquid oxygen (LOX) and methane - 2026, planned year of full-engine hot-fire test - 2028, Astrobase's target year for first reusable launch vehicle flight ## Why it matters Full-flow staged combustion is one of the most thermodynamically efficient rocket propulsion architectures, and until recently was used only by the Soviet RD-180 family and SpaceX's Raptor. An Indian private company achieving this milestone, if validated in hot-fire testing, would represent a material advance in India's commercial launch sector and could reduce dependence on foreign upper-stage engines for the country's growing satellite launch market. ## What to watch - Results of Astrobase's planned 2026 full-engine hot-fire test and any performance data released - Whether Astrobase secures ISRO or commercial satellite launch contracts ahead of the 2028 first-flight target - Competitive response from other Indian private launch startups (Skyroot, Agnikul, etc.) ## Regional takes (batched by bias / lens) ### Indian digital news network; first English-language report on the EVEREST unveiling at 07:13 UTC, giving the engine's 800 kN class, full-flow staged combustion design, LOX-methane propellant combination, and Astrobase's 2028 first-flight target for its reusable launch vehicle - **News9Live** (India, en) — News9Live reported Astrobase Space Technologies unveiled EVEREST, describing it as India's first privately developed 800 kN full-flow staged combustion engine burning LOX and methane; hot-fire testing is planned in the coming months with the first reusable launch vehicle flight targeted for December 2028. > "Astrobase Space Technologies has unveiled its 800 kN-class EVEREST rocket engine, India's first privately developed Full-Flow Staged Combustion engine; the Bengaluru-based company plans hot-fire testing in the coming months and targets the first flight of its reusable launch vehicle in December 2028." Source: https://www.news9live.com/science/astrobase-unveils-indias-first-private-800-kn-rocket-engine-targets-2028-launch-2997583 ### Indian regional broadcaster with a national English digital presence; second report citing Astrobase CEO Neeraj Khandelwal directly and placing EVEREST in the context of India's growing commercial space sector and the country's industrial rocket-engine capability gap - **ETV Bharat** (India, en) — ETV Bharat covered the EVEREST engine announcement with a quote from Astrobase CEO Neeraj Khandelwal framing it as foundational industrial capability for India's emerging commercial space sector, not just a technology demonstration. > "EVEREST is not a standalone technology demonstration; it represents the foundation of an industrial capability that India will increasingly need in the years ahead." Source: https://www.etvbharat.com/en/technology/astrobase-everest-800-kn-rocket-engine-india-private-space-push-shubhanshu-shukla-enn26080801050 ### Indian SME and technology trade publication; latest report at 11:41 UTC, again quoting Khandelwal and the industrial-capability framing; as a trade outlet it covers the commercial-sector context that general Indian news coverage emphasizes less - **SMEStreet** (India, en) — SMEStreet reported on the EVEREST announcement with CEO Khandelwal's statement emphasizing it as infrastructure for India's space-industrial complex, not a prototype; it provides the trade-press framing of the engine as a commercial inflection point for India's private launch sector. > "EVEREST is not a standalone technology demonstration; it represents the foundation of an industrial capability that India will increasingly need in the years ahead." Source: https://smestreet.in/technology/astrobase-unveils-everest-indias-first-privately-built-800-kn-full-flow-staged-combustion-engine-12242397 ## Across the graph - Entities: India --- Canonical: https://rbtfl.xyz/ar/n/india-astrobase-everest-0808