Astrobase tests India's 1st full-flow staged combustion rocket engine
Astrobase Space Technologies, a Bengaluru startup, has pulled off India's first test of a full-flow staged combustion rocket engine, a super-advanced design that, until now, only SpaceX's Raptor had actually flown.
The test happened at their Andhra Pradesh site, and the engine's core components were designed and 3-D printed right here in India.
Astrobase backed by IN-SPACe and ₹25cr
This methane-powered engine can lift up to 80 tons and is built to fly over 50 times, making rockets way more reusable.
Astrobase was started in 2024 by former ISRO scientist Devakumar Thammisetty and entrepreneur Neeraj Khandelwal.
With backing from IN-SPACe and ₹25 crore in funding, they are aiming to help India close the satellite gap with countries like the US (which has more than 13,000 satellites vs. India's 55), with plans for an orbital launch by 2028.