In May 2021, Elon Musk informed the media that SpaceX had the capability to produce a Raptor rocket engine every 48 hours. The Raptor, described later in this chapter, is an interplanetary rocket engine capable of generating 500,000 pounds of thrust. In the SpaceX interplanetary colonization plans, it is the Raptor (Figure 3.1) that will provide the necessary power to send the Starship on its way. But why does there have to be such a quick production rate? Unlike NASA, which has also set its sights on a manned Mars mission, the Mars Messiah’s goal is to establish a self-sustaining colony on the Red Planet, and such colonies cannot be achieved with small spacecraft carrying four or five astronauts. No, in the Musk universe, such colonies will require building a thousand Starships at a rate of 100 Starships per year. Given that the Starship and the Super Heavy Booster will be sporting 39 Raptors, that means a lot of Raptors must be built every year (Musk reckons SpaceX will need 800 to 1,000 engines per year), hence the requirement for such an aggressive development rate. Understanding how SpaceX has achieved this level of development is the purpose of this chapter.
The Engines
Springer Praxis Books(formerly: Springer-Praxis Series)
2022-05-12
18 pages
Aufsatz/Kapitel (Buch)
Elektronische Ressource
Englisch
ENGINES - Helicopter engines power ahead
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