Elon Musk Unveils Raptor 3 Rocket Engine
SpaceX CEO Elon Musk posted a photo of the latest Raptor 3 rocket engine on his Twitter (X) page. It is a much simplified version of the Raptor 2, which in turn was a simplified version of the first Raptor. Judging by the fact that the engine shown in the photo has been assigned the serial number 1, mass production of the Raptor 3 has already begun.
Almost all channels for transporting fuel and systems for ensuring the operation of the Raptor 3 engine are moved inside the streamlined body. Parts of the engine transport system are manufactured using 3D printing. The Raptor 3 components are devoid of many of the previous mechanical connections (threaded and others). On the one hand, this is really beautiful. But doubts remain about the convenience of disassembly and maintenance, because the Raptor engine family was developed for multiple use.
“The amount of work required to simplify the Raptor engine, integrate secondary feed paths, and add regenerative cooling for unprotected components was staggering,” Elon Musk explained in the caption. The engine now requires less space and eliminates the need for a heat shield for a number of components.
According to SpaceX itself, the Raptor 3 engine has a thrust of 280 tons at sea level (the thrust of the Raptor 2 at the same level is 230 tons). The next-generation SpaceX super-heavy booster will have 35 of these engines, they will provide a thrust of 9,800 tons, which is about 30% more than the thrust of the super-heavy booster now.
