The Raptor 3 engine was first ignited. In addition to its greatly simplified appearance, it also has "black technology"
2024-08-10
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On August 9, Beijing time, Musk posted a photo of the ignition of SpaceX's newly developed Raptor III engine on the X platform, as well as a comparison of the three generations of Raptor series engines. It can be seen that compared with Raptor I and Raptor II, the Raptor III engine has been greatly simplified in appearance. The densely exposed pipes and hardware parts that look like hair have disappeared, making it look much more beautiful. Even Musk himself couldn't help but exclaim that "this is simply a work of art."
In addition, the upper part of the Raptor III engine turned white when it was ignited, and Musk said it was because "this part was covered with ice." Beijing News Shell Finance reporter noticed that Musk also set pictures of different models of Raptor engines as the background pictures of his homepage on the X platform, which shows his attention to this new model of engine.
Musk's comparison of the three generations of Falcon engines
Simple appearance, thrust increased by 500,000 tons compared with the second generation, and 1,155 kg lighter
The Raptor rocket engine is a power system designed by SpaceX to provide thrust for the super-heavy reusable spacecraft Starship, and is one of the company's core technologies. Previously, several test flights of Starship relied on a Raptor rocket engine system consisting of 33 Raptor engines. In previous test flights, SpaceX could not guarantee the successful ignition of all Raptor engines, but some Raptor engines could at least ensure the successful launch of the first stage of Starship.
According to data disclosed by SpaceX, the thrust of Raptor 3 is 280tf (ton force, a unit of thrust), the specific impulse is 350s, the engine mass is 1525kg, and the total weight of the engine plus vehicle-side products and hardware is 1720kg. In comparison, the thrust of Raptor 2 is 230tf, the specific impulse is 347s, the engine mass is 1630kg, and the total weight is as high as 2875kg.
It can be seen that the Raptor 3 is not only more beautiful than its predecessor, but also lighter and has stronger thrust. In particular, its simplified operation of external hardware has greatly reduced the total weight. However, SpaceX has not disclosed the specific technology in this regard.
Regarding the internalization of exposed hardware, a foreign industry expert commented that this shows that SpaceX has integrated many previously scattered components inside the Raptor III rocket, taking the concept of "nothing is best" to the extreme. Musk responded to this comment by saying that SpaceX has the most advanced 3D metal printing technology in the world, which is not well known to many people, and seems to reveal that the secret of this "black technology" is 3D printing.
SpaceX said the Raptor 3 is designed for rapid reuse, without the need for an engine heat shield, while continuing to improve performance and manufacturability.
Ignition picture responds to peer evaluation and the fifth test flight is ready
Raptor 3 engine ignition picture
Earlier, when SpaceX first exposed the picture of the Raptor 3 engine, Tory Bruno, CEO of the company's main competitor, the United Launch Alliance, commented on the Raptor 3 engine, saying, "SpaceX has done a good job in making engine assembly easier, but there is no need to exaggerate an engine that has not been assembled, has no controller, fluid management or TVC system, and compare it with other engines."
After today's ignition, SpaceX President and COO Gwynne Shotwell directly posted a photo of the ignition and humorously "responded": "For an engine that has not yet been assembled, it is running pretty well at the moment."
In addition, while showing off the Raptor III engine, SpaceX also posted on August 9 that the Starship and Super Heavy rocket are ready for the fifth test flight and are awaiting regulatory approval. While waiting for flight permission, additional booster capture tests and a sixth test flight are planned.
Previously, the first three test flights of Starship all failed to successfully soft-land, but the fourth test flight in June this year successfully landed in the Indian Ocean, completing all missions for the first time in history.
Beijing News Shell Financial Reporter Luo Yidan Editor Chen Li Proofreader Liu Baoqing
