Raptors : The new generation Rocket Engines for Mars

World's most advance Rocket Engines 

Hey Explorers !

Lets get into one of most powerful engines, Raptors.

SpaceX Raptor is a full flow staged combustion cycle rocket engine, specially developed to use in Starship.

The engine is powered by cryogenic liquid methane & liquid oxygen.

Some more specifications : 

Propellant mixture ratio : 3.6

Pumps : 2

Thrust : 

              Raptor 1 - 185t 

              Raptor 2 - 230-250t

Thrust to weight Ratio : 200

Chamber Pressure : 330 bar

Specific impulse : 363s vacuum | 330s sea level 

Mass flow rate : 650 kg/s

The development of Raptor family started in 2012. 

Methane & oxygen use in Raptor is a great decision & vision for SpaceX's plans for Mars colonization.

Mars' lithosphere indicates signs of underground water & Mars' atmosphere is reach in CO2, which makes it clear that methane can easily be synthesized on Mars.

By 2016, SpaceX constructed a new engine test stand facility ar McGregor test site in central Texas for Raptor testing. Later year, SpaceX became first to test a first full flow staged combustion methalox engine successfully.

2021, SpaceX built a second production facility for Raptor engines, expecting to produce 800 to 1000 rocket engines per year! whoooooo.

The Raptor 1 engine cost a whooping $1 million to manufacture. SpaceX plans to reduce the cost, taking it down to just $250,000 each by mass producing engines.

The Raptor 2 

the newest version of Raptor; a completely redesigned version of Raptor 1. 

Many changes were made, the turbomachinery, chamber nozzle and electronics were all redesigned, many flanges are converted to welds.

The new design  is with much cleaner plumbing and wire harnesses.

The chamber throat of new Raptor is wider resulting in 25% more thrust generation at the cost of slight efficiency loss.

Raptor 2 can produce a thrust of 230 tones,

Musk announced that the force will be up with tuning the Raptor 2 will be able to produce a thrust of 250 tones.

Raptor 2 engines are more simplified but more powerful than the earlier Raptor 1.

Moreover, the engine production cost of Raptor 2 is approx. half that of the Raptor 1.

Raptor 2 vs Raptor 1

Most specifications for Raptor 2 are not public, but I believe that the specific impulse will be up around 360 - 370s,  and mdot will be also up making it possible for more thrust generation for the same package.

Here is the visuals from Raptor 2 static test

Raptor 2 showcases the level of #innovation.

It shows when you are at peak, you still need to innovate. 

Raptor 1 were most efficient full flow staged combustion cycle rocket engines, yet SpaceX came up with Raptor 2, making a step closer to Mars. 

Raptor 2 engines are specially designed for lower stage high performance but can be vacuum optimised. 

But SpaceX already have RVac;

Raptor 3

In May 2023, Elon Musk announced a successful static fire of Raptor 3 producing a whooping thrust of 269 tons !!!!

The Raptor Vacuum

Raptor Vacuum is a vacuum optimized version of Raptor with an extended, regeneratively-cooled nozzle for higher specific impulse; which goes up-to 380s.

RVac has a smaller smaller engine nozzle to avoid flow separation. 

Raptor Vacuum vs Raptor 1

the first 3 Raptor Vacuum engines were flown on SpaceX Starship prototype SN20, which was planned to be the first orbital test flight of Starship. 

However the first orbital test was then done with ship SN24! 

Can’t wait for the next orbital flight!

Here is Cybertruck taking the newest Raptor Vacuum at the Starbase

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