Astrobase Space Technologies has installed an industrial-scale metal 3D printer at its Bengaluru facility to support the production of 80-tonne-thrust Full Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) rocket engi...
Originally reported by VoxelMatters
Astrobase Space Technologies has installed an industrial-scale metal 3D printer at its Bengaluru facility to support the production of 80-tonne-thrust Full Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) rocket engines. The startup, co-founded by Neeraj Khandelwal and former ISRO scientist Devakumar Thammisetty, aims to manufacture multiple engines annually for its medium-lift launch vehicle. This hardware acquisition follows the successful completion of sub-scale hot-fire tests in September 2025 and precedes full-scale engine testing scheduled for late 2026. The company is currently developing a two-stage vehicle designed for satellite deployment and sovereign payloads with a maiden orbital launch target of 2029.
This investment positions Astrobase as a direct competitor to Agnikul Cosmos within the Indian New Space sector, specifically targeting the high-performance propulsion market. By adopting FFSC architecture, which is among the most thermally efficient propulsion cycles, the company is attempting to bypass traditional manufacturing constraints that have historically limited such engine designs to a small number of global players. The integration of large-format metal additive manufacturing is essential for consolidating complex core components, reducing part counts, and accelerating the development cycle for liquid oxygen-methane propulsion systems.
Securing the largest metal 3D printer in India provides the necessary infrastructure to transition from sub-scale validation to flight-ready hardware. Astrobase must now demonstrate that its additive manufacturing process can consistently meet the stringent material density and surface finish requirements for high-pressure cryogenic turbopumps. Success in the 2026 full-scale engine tests will be the primary indicator of whether this hardware investment translates into viable, repeatable propulsion performance.
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