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The concept evolved from a family of Raptor-designated rocket engines (2012) [45] to focus on the full-size Raptor engine (2014). [46] In January 2016, the US Air Force awarded a US$33.6 million development contract to SpaceX to develop a prototype Raptor for use on the upper stage of Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy. [47] [48]
SpaceX: Falcon 9 B5, Heavy: Active 1st ... Raptor [30] USA: SpaceX: Starship: Development 1st, 2nd ... Comparison of orbital rocket engines.
SpaceX discussed in October 2013 that they intended to build a family of methane-based Raptor rocket engines, [16] initially announcing that the engine would achieve 2.94 meganewtons (661,000 lbf) vacuum thrust. [16] In February 2014, they announced that the Raptor engine would be used on the Mars Colonial Transporter. The booster would utilize ...
Raptor is a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX for use in Starship and Super Heavy vehicles. It burns liquid oxygen and methane in an efficient and complex full-flow staged combustion power cycle. The Raptor engine uses methane as fuel rather than kerosene because methane gives higher performance and prevents the build-up of deposits ...
The Raptor engine uses a full-flow staged combustion cycle with oxygen and methane-rich turbopumps. [ 27 ] [ 28 ] Before 2014, only two full-flow staged-combustion rocket engine designs had advanced enough to undergo testing: the Soviet RD-270 project in the 1960s and the Aerojet Rocketdyne Integrated Powerhead Demonstrator in the mid-2000s. [ 29 ]
The first flight test of a full-flow staged-combustion engine occurred on 25 July 2019 when SpaceX flew their Raptor methalox FFSC engine on the Starhopper test rocket, at their South Texas Launch Site. [10] As of January 2025, the Raptor is the only FFSC engine that has flown on a launch vehicle.
In comparison, the Space Shuttle only had partial engine-out capability, meaning that it was not able to achieve proper orbit by burning the remaining engines longer. [48] In 2006, SpaceX stated that the Falcon 5 was a Falcon 9 with four engines removed. [48]
By comparison, it is more than twice as powerful as the Kestrel engine that was used in SpaceX's Falcon 1 launch vehicle second stage, about 1/9 the thrust of a Merlin 1D engine, and expected to be 1/26th as powerful as the SpaceX Raptor engine.