India's First Privately Built 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion LOX-Methane Rocket Engine

Bengaluru-based space-tech startup Astrobase Space Technologies unveiled EVEREST, India's first privately developed 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) rocket engine, on 7 August 2026, marking a major milestone for India's commercial space sector.

Design of 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) Engine, Named EVEREST

The Core Technology: What is FFSC?

In conventional rocket engines, a portion of unburned fuel or oxidiser is dumped out as exhaust after driving the turbopumps. In a Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) engine, this waste is eliminated:

• Dual Pre-Burners: The engine features two separate pre-burners, an oxidiser-rich pre-burner and a fuel-rich pre-burner.
• Zero Propellant Waste: 100% of both the fuel (methane) and oxidiser (liquid oxygen) are fully gasified in these pre-burners before entering the main combustion chamber.
• Higher Efficiency & Chamber Pressure: This gasification enables combustion pressures exceeding 300 bar, maximising specific impulse (fuel efficiency) while lowering thermal stress on critical turbine seals.

Why Use LOX-Methane (Methalox)?

• Clean Burning for Reusability: Unlike kerosene (RP-1), methane does not leave carbon soot (coking) inside engine pipes and turbines, making rapid inspection and engine reuse possible.
• Global Precedent: SpaceX's Raptor engine (powering Starship) is currently the only operational FFSC engine flying to space, using the same LOX-methane propellant combination.

Industrial Scale & Future Roadmap

• Hot-Fire Testing: Following sub-scale hot-fire tests in September 2025 and turbopump trials in early 2026, full-scale ground hot-fire testing is slated to take place at Astrobase's 21.5-acre test facility in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.
• Target Flight: Astrobase plans to fly its reusable launch vehicle powered by EVEREST by December 2028.
• Manufacturing Capacity: Astrobase's 46,000 sq. ft. Bengaluru facility is equipped with India's largest industrial metal 3D printer, built to produce up to 50 EVEREST engines per year (scaling to ~1 engine per week at full capacity).