Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (NASDAQ:SPCX) CEO Elon Musk warned new rocket companies against treating the company’s Raptor 3 engine as an easy design to reproduce after an online comparison appeared to draw parallels between the engine and a rocket engine from Chinese private launch company Space Pioneer.
Musk Warns Raptor 3 Is Deceptive
"I would recommend against a new company trying to make Raptor 3. While it appears simple on the outside (necessary to survive extreme heat without a heat shield), the inside has very complex geometry that can only be manufactured using highly modified 3D metal printing," Musk wrote Wednesday.
SpaceX’s specifications help explain the clean exterior. The company says the sea-level Raptor 3 produces 250 metric tons-force, or roughly 2,451 kN, while the vacuum version reaches 275 tons-force. SpaceX also moved sensors and controllers inside the engine and beneath thermal protection, eliminating individual engine shrouds.
Space Pioneer Pursues Reusable Rocket Ambitions
That puts Raptor 3’s published sea-level thrust almost exactly alongside the 2,450-kN figure circulating for Space Pioneer’s reported Tianhuo-21 methane engine. Space Pioneer has not yet posted Tianhuo-21 specifications on its public engine catalog, which lists TH-11, TH-12 and TH-31.
Space Pioneer is developing reusable launch technology with its Tianlong-3 rocket, a partially reusable vehicle designed to compete with SpaceX’s Falcon 9. The company says Tianlong-3’s first stage uses nine TH-12 liquid-oxygen/kerosene engines and is designed for at least 20 reuses.
Reuters reported in 2024 that the Beijing-based company had raised more than 4 billion yuan ($596.4 million) across 15 funding rounds while developing Tianlong-3. The company says the rocket uses nine TH-12 kerosene engines on its first stage and targets Falcon 9-class payload performance.
Raptor 3 Powers Starship’s Next Phase
Raptor 3 now sits at the center of SpaceX’s Starship V3 architecture. Starship’s May debut introduced the new engine generation. In July, Flight 13 aborted less than a second before liftoff after some of its 33 booster engines failed to start; Musk said SpaceX would replace two Raptors before retrying.
SpaceX has spent more than $15 billion developing Starship and now targets Sept. 22 for Flight 14, pending regulatory approval. The mission is expected to attempt Starship’s first orbital flight and deploy production Starlink V3 satellites.
Photo courtesy: Shutterstock
Login to comment