Bengaluru-based Astrobase Space Technologies is developing a reusable medium-lift rocket powered by its proprietary methane-based EVEREST engine. With $13.5 million in funding, the startup aims to address India's launch capacity gap. Investors and industry observers should track the company's progress through upcoming hot-fire tests, as achieving full reusability remains a high-difficulty milestone for new space ventures.
Astrobase Space Technologies, a space startup based in Bengaluru, has outlined its plan to conduct an orbital launch by late 2028. The company is developing a medium-lift rocket designed to use its proprietary EVEREST engine. This engine utilizes full-flow staged combustion, a complex and highly efficient architecture used by only a few global players in the space industry. The firm is currently moving from engine integration to subsystem testing, with a crucial hot-fire test expected to be a major technical milestone for the startup.
Targeting the Launch Capacity Gap
The strategic focus of Astrobase is to address a significant shortfall in India’s orbital launch capacity. Industry data shows that in 2025, India launched approximately 9.5 tonnes of payload into low Earth orbit. This is a small fraction compared to the capacity in countries like the United States and China, which have handled hundreds of tonnes annually. Astrobase intends to build domestic production capabilities for space hardware to narrow this gap. The company’s long-term objective is to support an output of 50 engines per year and increase annual orbital launch capacity significantly.
The Engineering and Execution Challenge
While the company has secured $13.5 million in funding and support from the IN-SPACe Technology Adoption Fund, the path to a commercial launch involves substantial risks. The primary engineering challenge is achieving full reusability. Astrobase estimates that it may require between five and ten test flights before it can reliably land and recover a first-stage booster. Developing reusable technology is known to be a difficult and expensive process that can lead to development delays or cost increases.
To manage these risks, the startup is employing large-scale 3D printing to speed up fabrication and identify design flaws during the research and development phase. Using a single engine design across both stages of the rocket is another move intended to simplify the development cycle and reduce the technical burden.
What to Monitor Next
For those tracking the space sector, the next critical updates will involve the results of the pending hot-fire tests, which will confirm whether the EVEREST engine can perform under expected pressures. As the company moves toward its 2028 target, investors and sector analysts will monitor its ability to scale production and prove the reliability of its reusable booster technology. The space infrastructure sector remains capital-intensive, and success for startups like Astrobase will depend on consistent execution and the ability to compete on launch costs with global incumbents.