Bengaluru-based Astrobase Space Technologies aims for its first orbital launch by December 2028 using reusable rockets. The startup developed the 800 kN-class EVEREST engine to boost India’s launch capacity. "We have also built our own methane engine testing facility," said CEO Neeraj Khandelwal. The firm raised $13.5 million for development.
Bengaluru-based firm bets on reusable rockets to bolster India's space prowess
In the race to build reusable rockets, Bengaluru-based Astrobase Space Technologies is looking beyond the development of a powerful engine to increasing India's capacity to put satellites into orbit.
The startup's ambitions rest on EVEREST, its 800 kN-class rocket engine built around the advanced 'full-flow staged combustion' (FFSC) propulsion architecture, which is used by only a handful of companies globally.
The engine has been fully integrated, and its component and subsystem tests are underway. A full-scale hot-fire test, a critical milestone in validating performance, is yet to be completed.
For Astrobase, that test will be a decisive step towards meeting its December 2028 target for first orbital launch.
"We have also built our own methane engine testing facility, which is ready to support testing and design modifications," says Neeraj Khandelwal, co-founder and CEO of Astrobase Space Technologies.
The company is developing a reusable medium-lift launch vehicle to carry about eight tonnes to low Earth orbit. Its strategy combines methane propulsion, high-thrust engines and in-house manufacturing, with the same engine architecture planned for both stages of the rocket. This, Khandelwal says, would allow the company to mature a single design rather than developing separate propulsion systems.
Launch capacity
But reusability remains a long-term engineering challenge. Astrobase estimates it could take five to 10 flights before it can get its launch vessel to successfully land and recover its first stage, underlining the distance between developing an engine and establishing a dependable launch system. The commercial opportunity, the company believes, lies in the widening gap between India's satellite ambitions and available launch capacity.
India launched approximately 9.5 tonnes of payload into space in 2025, compared with around 370 tonnes by China and 2,700 tonnes by the US, according to data compiled by Astrobase. As satellite communications, national security and other space applications expand, there is likely to be a demand for more launch capacity.
Astrobase wants to build the infrastructure domestically rather than remaining dependent on existing launch providers. Its longer-term ambition is to increase the annual orbital launch capacity from around 100 tonnes to 1,000-plus tonnes, while producing about 50 engines annually.
The startup has raised about $13.5 million so far, for its current development phase. It has also been selected under IN-SPACe's Technology Adoption Fund. However, it has not disclosed the capital needed to reach its first orbital flight or scale up commercial operations.
EVEREST is fabricated through 3D printing to a large extent, while the company's in-house testing facility helps identify problems and modify designs as the development progresses.
Cost saving
The extent of the startup's dependence on external suppliers and the cost savings from vertical integration remain unspecified. Cost-competitiveness against established launch providers, including SpaceX, is another question the company is yet to address with numbers.
Astrobase has not set a launch-cost target, citing the need to complete system validation first.
For now, the company's priority is to demonstrate reliable engine performance and progress towards orbital flight. Its larger ambition is to build propulsion systems, launch vehicles and space hardware in India, positioning the country as a provider of space infrastructure for domestic and international customers.
Whether that ambition will lead to a commercially viable reusable launch system will depend on what comes next: testing, repeated flights and, eventually, recovering a rocket stage successfully.