SpaceX’s Stunning Rocket Engine Is Complex, Yet Simple & 51% More Powerful

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SpaceX has successfully tested its brand new and latest Raptor engine for the first time according to Elon Musk, its CEO and Gwynne Shotwell, its president. Raptor 3 is SpaceX's most powerful rocket engine to date, and it's built to endure the stresses of spaceflight without needing a heat shield or being compromised by joints.

SpaceX's Starship full stack tests have seen several Raptor 2 engine failures, some of which have led to fires inside the engine bay. One problem faced by the engine has been hot gas leakage, which has led to the fires. The Raptor 3 also significantly upgrades its thrust over its predecessor and significantly reduces weight over the current Raptor 2 engines that power Starship.

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SpaceX's Raptor 3 Engine Looks Too Good To Be True

SpaceX's Raptor is the most complex piece of equipment for the Starship rocket. Starship currently uses 33 Raptor 2 engines, making it the only rocket in human history to do so. These engines are also one of its biggest constraints since the sheer number of them used on the rocket means that if SpaceX can rapidly conduct test flights, then it could run out of its inventory.

With Starship launches currently limited to under five per year and Raptor production having increased its pace, SpaceX is in a comfortable position with its engines right now. A presentation given by Elon Musk earlier this year outlined a Raptor engine upgrade called Raptor 3. This engine was pitched as having a significantly simpler design over its predecessor, and after Musk shared an image of the engine last month, he and SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell have confirmed that the Raptor 3 has been fired up for the first time.

According to SpaceX, the sea level Raptor 3 can generate 280 ton force (tf) of thrust,