Astrobase Rocket Test Site to Span 339 Acres in Andhra Pradesh
The Astrobase rocket test site in Andhra Pradesh will span 339 acres, about 15 times its existing Anantapur stand, the Times of India reported.
By Avinash Mishra, Business Correspondent
2 min read
Quick Take
- Astrobase rocket test site in Andhra Pradesh is set to span 339 acres, about 15 times its current 21.5-acre stand.
- Its EVEREST engine makes 800 kN of thrust on liquid oxygen and methane, a first for an Indian private firm.
- Astrobase already holds a Rs 25 crore IN-SPACe grant and, on November 3, announced a Rs 500 crore engine plant in Karnataka.
Astrobase will set up a 339-acre rocket test site in Andhra Pradesh, by far its largest base yet.
The Times of India reported the plan. The new site is about 15 times the 21.5-acre test stand Astrobase runs today near Anantapur, also in Andhra Pradesh.
What the Astrobase Rocket Test Site Adds
That stand was built for EVEREST, an 800 kN engine burning liquid oxygen and methane. It is India’s first privately built full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) engine. Only SpaceX has flown this type.
A bigger site means bigger plans. More land lets Astrobase test full rocket stages, not just single engines. It also feeds Andhra Pradesh’s push to become India’s launch hub.
Also read
Andhra Pradesh has handed land to several rocket and satellite firms this year. Skyroot Aerospace got about 295 acres in the Tirupati Space City. EtherealX opened a 150-acre test site there in October.
In June, Astrobase won backing from IN-SPACe, the space regulator. The Technology Adoption Fund grant is capped at Rs 25 crore. The firm has put over Rs 100 crore into its own engines and test sites.
Astrobase was founded in 2024 by Neeraj Khandelwal, who co-founded CoinDCX, and Devakumar Thammisetty, a former ISRO propulsion engineer. On November 3, Karnataka said the firm would build a Rs 500 crore engine plant near Bengaluru, with room to make 40 engines a year.
Neeraj Khandelwal has tied the state backing to hardware already in the ground:
“IN-SPACe evaluated not just the architecture but our team and the hardware for over a year before backing us.”
Neeraj Khandelwal, co-founder and chief executive, Astrobase. From the company statement, June 11, 2026.
What this means for you
If you supply precision machining, cryogenic systems or propulsion-grade materials, India’s private rocket firms are turning into real buyers. Track the Andhra Pradesh Space City allotments and the IN-SPACe vendor lists now, before the bigger test sites start placing orders.
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