India’s first privately-built 800 kN FFSC engine unveiled
Weeks after India’s private space sector achieved a major milestone by launching Vikram-1, the country’s first privately developed orbital rocket, a Bengaluru based space company
Weeks after India’s private space sector achieved a major milestone by launching Vikram-1, the country’s first privately developed orbital rocket, a Bengaluru based space company on Friday unveiled India’s first privately built 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) LO Methane rocket engine. “The engine, named EVEREST, has been developed by Astrobase making it only the fourth commercial company to successfully develop a high thrust flow FFSC engine globally,” said Neeraj Khandelwal, co-founder and CEO, Astrobase Space Technologies. The company said that with this, India has become the fourth nation to have FFSC engine technology after Russia, the U.S., and China.
Astrobase Space Technologies said that the unveiling of EVEREST marks a significant milestone in the company’s efforts to strengthen India’s indigenous launch infrastructure and advance reusable launch capabilities. It added that it is also building the complete industrial chain required for launch — from engine manufacturing and high-flow testing to stage integration, vehicle qualification and launch operations. “All critical propulsion design authority, system engineering, manufacturing knowledge, software, test data and mission configuration will remain under Indian control. The next major milestone for the programme will be the full-engine hot-fire test, followed by vehicle integration and orbital launch development,” it said.
It added that with 800 kN thrust, 340 seconds of specific impulse, and a 50%-110% throttle range, the engine has been designed for reusable medium-lift launch vehicles, supporting precision control, faster turnaround and improved launch economics. Astrobase also plans to manufacture and test around 20 engines before its first orbital flight. The company is built around launch-on-demand capability, enabling the preparation and launch of a dedicated mission within 15 days of receiving an urgent national requirement. “Astrobase is among the recipients of IN-SPACe’s Technology Adoption Fund (TAF), which is supporting the development of its 800 kN full-flow staged combustion engine.
TAF was set up precisely to enable the private sector to undertake such innovative technologies and technically demanding work. As the engine progresses through further development and testing, it will add to India’s growing capacity for reliable access to space and create new opportunities for India in the global space economy,” said Rajeev Jyoti, distinguished scientist and Director, Technical Directorate, IN-SPACe.
The BriefWire