SpaceX Founder talks about Raptor 3 engine and its design improvements

SpaceX has been developing the Raptor 3 engine for quite some time and has shared an update on this efficient rocket hardware, which will improve the future versions of Starship.

The company founder, Elon Musk, said that the new Raptor engine is size-efficient while increasing the launch vehicle’s performance. Its new minimalist design removes all that is unnecessary, including the heat shield.

So far, the engine has gone through more than 300 engine tests, accumulating more than 16,000 seconds of the runt time at SpaceX’s McGregor, Texas facility.

Coming to the efficiency, each Raptor 3 saves more than 1 ton of vehicle mass. It means the future version of Starship with this new engine will save more than 40 tons of mass, while employing that capacity for higher payload. Starship currently has 100-150 tons of payload capacity, which could increase up to 200 tons with a future version.

SpaceX Raptor 3 engine mass

This design will also enable the company to inbuilt 3 more engines in the upper stage, making them a total of 9 Raptors. This assembly will boost the ship’s performance and capabilities in space.

Raptor 2 vs Raptor 3 engines (Source – SpaceX)

In terms of comparison, the Raptor 2 engine has 230 tf of thrust, 347 seconds of specific impulse, 1630kg of engine mass, 2875 kg of engine + vehicle-side commodities and hardware mass.

On the other hand, the Raptor 3 has 280 tf of thrust, 350 seconds of specific impulse, 1525kg of engine mass, and 1720kg engine+vehicle-side commodities.

There are also plans to develop a vacuum version of the Raptor 3, but that will come later. Its efficient design not only enables more room and higher performance, but it also helps to ease the manufacturing process for fast output.

SpaceX founder hinted that the Raptor 3 engine could be employed with next-gen Starship, which could launch later this year. However, we’ll have to wait for more details. Check Raptor 3 specifications here.