• Stardour successfully test-fires India’s first hydrogen-oxygen propulsion engine at IISc Bengaluru.
• Startup’s Orbital Transfer Vehicle ‘Lucas’ aims for missions across LEO, GEO, Moon, and Mars by 2027.
• Founded by Sankarsh Chanda, led by ex-ISRO scientist Rama Rao, and powered by top-tier research talent.

Hyderabad-based space-tech company Stardour has successfully test-fired India's indigenous hydrogen-oxygen propulsion engine, a great milestone in the green space mobility era. The experiment was held at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) in Bengaluru a collaboration that indicates increasing synergy between India's academic and private aerospace communities.

Founded in 2023 by Sankarsh Chanda and guided by ex-ISRO scientist Rama Rao, Stardour is working in stealth mode to create Lucas a state-of-the-art Orbital Transfer Vehicle (OTV). Capable of functioning between LEO, GEO, lunar, Martian, and deep-space missions, Lucas seeks to transform orbital logistics with the capabilities of managing satellite deployment, orbit maneuvers, in-space refueling, spacecraft maintenance, life extension missions, and space debris removal.

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Scheduled to become operational in Q3 2027, Lucas puts Stardour at the forefront of India's private space-tech competition. Founded by erstwhile ISRO veterans and researchers from top Indian technical institutions, Stardour combines extensive scientific know-how with the nimbleness of a startup to redefine in-space propulsion and logistics.

It is not merely a technical success but an indicator that India is prepared to pioneer in sustainable, independent in-space logistics for the emerging space economy," Stardour Director Rama Rao has said.

Seconding this view, IISc's Prof. Pratikash Panda has stated, "Stardour's test of hydrogen-oxygen engine is a milestone in green propulsion and reusable spacecraft technology. It demonstrates the startup's vision for long-term scalable space mobility.

As India's private space industry gathers pace, Stardour's propulsion innovation is one among a rising number of startups transforming the nation's deep-tech space with international aspirations.