Science, Discovery, Tech and Environment · 9 August 2026

Astrobase Unveils India's First Private 800 kN Rocket Engine

Exam-focused facts from the 9 August 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

  • Astrobase Space Technologies unveiled EVEREST, India's first privately built 800 kN Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) LOX-Methane rocket engine.
  • The EVEREST engine is designed for reusable medium-lift launch vehicles and is intended to be reused more than 100 times.
  • Astrobase plans to produce up to 50 engines annually, supporting 100 tonnes of launch capacity in Phase 1 and scaling to over 1,000 tonnes in Phase 2.
  • The company targets a full-engine hot-fire test in 2026 and aims to launch its first vehicle by December 2028.
  • The engine's turbopump handles about 5 MW of power while operating in a high-density, high-pressure liquid oxygen environment.
  • The development of the engine is supported by IN-SPACe's Technology Adoption Fund (TAF).

View this story in the full daily briefing

Earlier coverage selected by topic similarity to help connect developments over time.

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