Hyderabad’s Abyom SpaceTech Fires Up India’s First Fully In-House Reusable Rocket Engine

Indigenous Engine, Indigenous Test Facility

Abyom SpaceTech, incubated at BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus, conducted the BSE-II qualification campaign at its own Commercial Test Facility, without relying on external infrastructure. Every element of the test stack engine, control systems, test stand and instrumentation was designed and built in-house, underscoring the startup’s ambition to own the full propulsion ecosystem. The engine builds on the earlier BSE-I series and is part of a 150+ hot-fire test programme aimed at validating reusable propulsion for atmospheric and sub-orbital missions.

What BSE-II Brings To India’s Space Ambitions Engine design and performance

BSE-II is a pressure-fed, liquid-fuel rocket engine using ethanol-based fuel and designed for vertical take-off, vertical landing (VTVL) reusable rockets. In recent tests, the engine delivered around 2.5 kN of thrust with stable combustion, smooth start stop transients and controlled thrust, operating at exhaust temperatures above 2,200°C. The campaign demonstrated reliable ignition, repeatable performance and integrated system behaviour, all key prerequisites for reusable flight hardware.

Programmes And Products In The Pipeline HOPE VTVL and reusable rockets

BSE-II forms the core propulsion for Abyom’s HOPE VTVL (vertical take-off, vertical landing) reusable rocket prototype, which aims to validate controlled ascent, descent and landing profiles similar to global reusable launchers. The company is working towards a Flight Ready Engine (FRE) and a reusable sounding rocket (RSR) designed to carry payloads for meteorology, microgravity experiments, agritech data and atmospheric research, while cutting launch costs by up to 50 percent. Longer term, Abyom plans to develop higher-thrust cryogenic engines and larger reusable launch vehicles for both space and defence applications.

Why This Matters For India’s Space-Tech Ecosystem

Abyom’s achievement positions it among India’s leading new-space players, alongside names like Skyroot and Agnikul, by proving that privately developed, reusable propulsion can be designed, built and tested end-to-end within the country. The startup has already drawn recognition in Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia and India lists and has collaborated with institutes such as IIT Bombay on propulsion R&D. For India, indigenous reusable engines promise cheaper, faster and more flexible access to space while reducing dependence on imported technology and strengthening dual-use (space and defence) capabilities.

Key Highlights

1. Hyderabad-based Abyom SpaceTech & Defence completes India’s first fully in-house reusable liquid rocket engine qualification campaign
2. BattleShip Engine-II (BSE-II) is a 2.5 kN thrust-class, pressure-fed liquid rocket engine developed entirely in-house
3. Over 150–250 cumulative hot-fire tests conducted across BSE-I and BSE-II to validate performance and reliability
4. Tests demonstrated controlled thrust, reliable ignition, stable combustion and smooth system integration at high temperatures
5. Engine underpins HOPE VTVL reusable rocket and a Reusable Sounding Rocket (RSR) targeting low-cost sub-orbital launches
6. All test infrastructure engine, test stand and controls designed and built by Abyom at BITS Pilani Hyderabad campus
7. Startup plans to move towards flight-ready cryogenic engines and larger reusable vehicles for space and defence use

Sources: Telangana Today, New Indian Express, DailyHunt, Abyom-related coverage and social-media updates