SpaceX Raptor engine - General Thread 4

[InterestedEngineer]

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2014599611948675140

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Best rocket engine ever:

Full-flow, staged combustion
330 bar main chamber pressure
Highest T/W
Inexpensive to build

I priced Jet engines for the 737-Max the other day, they are on the order of $12M-15M a pop.

Versus less than a million for one that will take us to space.

Crazy.

[meekGee]

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2014599611948675140

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Best rocket engine ever:

Full-flow, staged combustion
330 bar main chamber pressure
Highest T/W
Inexpensive to build

I priced Jet engines for the 737-Max the other day, they are on the order of $12M-15M a pop.

Versus less than a million for one that will take us to space.

Crazy.

Interesting, but they are much larger since they have to use ambient air, so they should be more expensive.  The true crime is that other rocket engines cost more.

[DanClemmensen]

I priced Jet engines for the 737-Max the other day, they are on the order of $12M-15M a pop.

Versus less than a million for one that will take us to space.

Crazy.

Per operational hour, the jet engines are a lot cheaper. Commercial jet engines have a design lifetime of tens of thousands of hours with service intervals of hundreds of hours. Raptor 3 has a design lifetime of maybe tens of hours with service intervals of maybe one hour.

[xvel]

I priced Jet engines for the 737-Max the other day, they are on the order of $12M-15M a pop.

Versus less than a million for one that will take us to space.

Crazy.

Per operational hour, the jet engines are a lot cheaper. Commercial jet engines have a design lifetime of tens of thousands of hours with service intervals of hundreds of hours. Raptor 3 has a design lifetime of maybe tens of hours with service intervals of maybe one hour.

That's the wrongest metric for rocket and jet engines comparison

[DanClemmensen]

I priced Jet engines for the 737-Max the other day, they are on the order of $12M-15M a pop.

Versus less than a million for one that will take us to space.

Crazy.

Per operational hour, the jet engines are a lot cheaper. Commercial jet engines have a design lifetime of tens of thousands of hours with service intervals of hundreds of hours. Raptor 3 has a design lifetime of maybe tens of hours with service intervals of maybe one hour.

That's the wrongest metric for rocket and jet engines comparison

So is cost. They are different machines, optimized for different uses, and that is what I was attempting to highlight.

[OTV Booster]

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2014599611948675140

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Best rocket engine ever:

Full-flow, staged combustion
330 bar main chamber pressure
Highest T/W
Inexpensive to build

I priced Jet engines for the 737-Max the other day, they are on the order of $12M-15M a pop.

Versus less than a million for one that will take us to space.

Crazy.

You're comparing cost and price. Gotta wonder how Musk would price if Bezos wanted to buy.


Still, interesting numbers.

[InterestedEngineer]

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2014599611948675140

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Best rocket engine ever:

Full-flow, staged combustion
330 bar main chamber pressure
Highest T/W
Inexpensive to build

I priced Jet engines for the 737-Max the other day, they are on the order of $12M-15M a pop.

Versus less than a million for one that will take us to space.

Crazy.

You're comparing cost and price. Gotta wonder how Musk would price if Bezos wanted to buy.


Still, interesting numbers.

Airplane vendors use the `razor and blade` approach - they sell the razor at cost, and make it up in the disposables (maintenance, parts), etc.

So in this case, cost and price are near identical.

[thespacecow]

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2014599611948675140

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Best rocket engine ever:

Full-flow, staged combustion
330 bar main chamber pressure
Highest T/W
Inexpensive to build

Follow up: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/2014601002805064130

We’ve gone beyond 350 bar, but not safely yet. With some additional work, we should be able to achieve >350 bar as standard operating pressure.

Anything above 270 bar is a world record.

[dondar]

https://x.com/elonmusk/status/2014599611948675140

Elon Musk
@elonmusk

Best rocket engine ever:

Full-flow, staged combustion
330 bar main chamber pressure
Highest T/W
Inexpensive to build

I priced Jet engines for the 737-Max the other day, they are on the order of $12M-15M a pop.

Versus less than a million for one that will take us to space.

Crazy.

lol .CFM  Leap is basically one big giant extremely complex multi-staged turbine, where every part (of many) is more complex than both turbo-pumps of Raptor together.

[catdlr]

Justin Swartz
@jswartzphoto
·
2h
🚨New Raptor 3 Record 🚨
SN102 just drove by our cams in McGregor! 

https://twitter.com/jswartzphoto/status/2019421334896595367

[catdlr]

Rhin0
@SpaceRhin0
Major Raptor 3 Milestone!

We are officially into the 100's with R102 heading past the NSF Cameras out at McGregor! Keep in mind this is post testing so production is likely well past 102 by now!

[catdlr]

#110

Rex (Raptor Engine)
@Raptor_Engine
·
4m
Raptor on the loose!

Raptor production is ramping up as we tracked SN110 thought our cams at McGregor!

https://twitter.com/Raptor_Engine/status/2020628192118403229

[crandles57]

Do we think they have enough flight ready engines for two full stacks yet?

[DanClemmensen]

Do we think they have enough flight ready engines for two full stacks yet?

They need 2*(33+6)=78. We think they have produced at least 110. They have enough unless they have expended more than 32 in prototyping, testing, etc.

[catdlr]

Elisar Priel
@ENNEPS
·
21m
A busy day at SpaceX McGregor test facility, as three Raptor Vacuum engines rolled by
@NASASpaceflight
 McGregor Live cameras. First was Rvac 98 heading out after testing, followed by Rvac 103 & Rvac 100 arriving for testing.
http://nsf.live/mcgregor

https://twitter.com/ENNEPS/status/2022087033066533026

[catdlr]

Rhin0
@SpaceRhin0
·
14m
Well its official, R3.100 is an RVAC!

Idk what SpaceX are doing with RVAC's atm but I'm all here for it!

Also amazing views from @NASASpaceflight in McGregor. Just stunning.

https://twitter.com/SpaceRhin0/status/2022099337732669481

[catdlr]

Rex (Raptor Engine)
@Rex_MKR
·

Just 42 minutes after SN98 left the stand, another Raptor 3 Vacuum SN103 arrived and was quickly installed!

Be sure to check McGregor Live for more Raptor spotting!

https://twitter.com/Rex_MKR/status/2021981159169925573

[catdlr]

Rhin0
@SpaceRhin0
·
2h
Another one....
(well technically, return of one)

R3.98 was spotted heading towards the stand; however, we did not see it head up the road toward the RS or RN test stands. What this exactly means is hard to say.

https://twitter.com/SpaceRhin0/status/2022446316803297294

[catdlr]

Rhin0
@SpaceRhin0
·
8h
I heard you liked RVACs?

Yesterday evening we saw what we now know to be R3.106 being lifted off of the RS test stand at McGregor and then returned to the Raptor Hangar followed shortly be R98 (again)!

https://twitter.com/SpaceRhin0/status/2022615915842424859

[OTV Booster]

Got an off the wall question. It stems from a post in the 'Pet Peeve' thread. RobLynn pointed out that the ships diameter limits the size of the Rvac bell and puts a limit on Isp. Does this have to be?

The Russians have a lot of experience with multiple chambers attached to one pump. Has anybody else done this? I've no idea of the trades involved but at first glance it looks as if the packing density would go up and also allow a higher expansion ratio.

This isn't anything I'd expect for V5. It'd be a new engine with Raptor roots and down the road a bit. Does this make any sense? Like I said, I've no idea of the trades involved. Can somebody educate me?

Catdir, do ya think this should be a separate thread? I've no idea how to cross post. If worthy, could you cross post this and append a pointer?


Edit to add: Don't reply. Catdir set up a new thread. See next message for a link.