Isro readies SpaceX-style methane rocket engine: Why it's a big deal

Isro has ignited the full-scale gas generator of its LME-1100 methane engine. The milestone advances India's next-generation heavy-lift rocket and crewed lunar mission plans.The complete engine is targeted to be ready by the middle of 2027, when it will undergo a series of hot-fire qualification tests. (Photo: Isro)New Delhi,Oct 19, 2026 10:54 ISTIndia is taking a major step towards developing the next generation of powerful rockets, with Isro successfully igniting a key component of a new methane-powered engine and completing the design of a more powerful engine that uses a technology also employed by SpaceX's Starship.The Indian Space Research Organisation conducted the first ignition test of the full-scale gas generator of its 1,100-kilonewton LME-1100 engine on October 9, 2026, at the Isro Propulsion Complex in Mahendragiri, Tamil Nadu.The complete engine is targeted to be ready by the middle of 2027, when it will undergo a series of hot-fire qualification tests.Isro has also completed the design of a 2,400-kilonewton liquid oxygen-methane engine using the full-flow staged combustion cycle, a propulsion technology used by SpaceX's Raptor engines that power Starship. The engine is intended for a future heavy-lift launch vehicle capable of supporting India's planned crewed lunar landing mission.WHY IS THIS A BIG DEAL FOR ISRO AND INDIA?Rocket engines determine how much payload a launch vehicle can carry and how efficiently it can travel to space. Methane is emerging as an important rocket fuel because it burns relatively cleanly, can reduce maintenance requirements and may eventually be produced using resources available on Mars.SpaceX uses liquid methane and liquid oxygen in its Raptor engines, designed for reusable rockets. Isro is developing its own methane-based propulsion systems to support future launch vehicles, including the Next Generation Launch Vehicle (NGLV).However, the two engines under development have different designs. Isro's LME-1100 uses a gas-generator cycle, while its proposed 2,400-kilonewton engine uses the more complex full-flow staged combustion cycle.The distinction matters because the latter is designed to extract greater performance from the propellants by routing fuel-rich and oxygen-rich gases through separate turbines before combustion in the main chamber.BUILDING INDIA'S NEXT-GENERATION ROCKETIsro began exploring methane propulsion in 2019, developing a smaller technology demonstrator that underwent successful cold-flow and hot-fire tests in 2019-2020. The findings helped engineers develop the LME-1100 programme, formally initiated in 2023.More than 70% of the LME-1100's components have been produced using additive manufacturing, commonly known as 3D printing, with Indian industrial partners. Its gas generator, turbopumps, igniters and thrust chamber are undergoing development and testing.The engine is expected to support India's future heavy-lift launch capabilities. Isro has identified methane propulsion as a key technology for the NGLV and the heavy-lift vehicle needed for the country's planned human lunar landing around 2040.The latest test marks progress towards that goal, although the complete engine must still undergo integrated testing and qualification before it can be used in a launch vehicle.- Ends