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SpaceX has developed two kerosene-based engines through 2013, the Merlin 1 and Kestrel, and has publicly discussed a much larger concept engine high-level design named Merlin 2. Merlin 1 powered the first stage of the Falcon 1 launch vehicle and is used both on the first and second stages of the Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy launch vehicles. The ...
In October 2012, SpaceX publicly announced concept work on a rocket engine that would be "several times as powerful as the Merlin 1 series of engines, and won't use Merlin's RP-1 fuel". [58] They indicated that the large engine was intended for a new SpaceX rocket, using multiple of these large engines could notionally launch payload masses of ...
Raptor is a family of rocket engines developed and manufactured by SpaceX. It is the third rocket engine in history designed with a full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) fuel cycle, and the first such engine to power a vehicle in flight. [15] The engine is powered by cryogenic liquid methane and liquid oxygen, a combination known as methalox.
The Kestrel engine was developed in the 2000s by SpaceX for upper stage use on the Falcon 1 rocket. Kestrel is no longer being manufactured; the last flight of Falcon 1 was in 2009. Kestrel was built around the same pintle architecture as the SpaceX Merlin engine but does not have a turbopump and is fed only by tank pressure.
In April 2017, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk said that Block 5 will feature 7–8% more thrust by uprating the engines (from 176,000 pounds-force (780,000 N) to 190,000 pounds-force (850,000 N) per engine). [14] Block 5 includes an improved flight control system for an optimized angle of attack on the descent, lowering landing fuel requirements.
The Raptor engine uses methane as fuel rather than kerosene because methane gives higher performance and prevents the build-up of deposits in the engine from coking. [100] [101] Methane can also be produced from carbon dioxide and water using the Sabatier reaction. [102] The engines are designed to be reused many times with little maintenance ...
The third version of the Falcon 9 was developed in 2014–2015 and made its maiden flight in December 2015. The Falcon 9 Full Thrust is a modified reusable variant of the Falcon 9 family with capabilities that exceed the Falcon 9 v1.1, including the ability to "land the first stage for geostationary transfer orbit (GTO) missions on the drone ship" [14] [15] The rocket was designed using ...
It includes realigned first-stage engines [24] and 60 percent longer fuel tanks, making it more susceptible to bending during flight. [23] The engines themselves have been upgraded to the more powerful Merlin 1D. These improvements increased the payload capability from 10,450 to 13,150 kilograms (23,040 to 28,990 lb). [25]