SpaceX Raptor engine: methane super-heavies (formal presentation May 17)

[Dr Mordrid]

OK - NOW we have CONFIRMED info from SpaceX about their super-heavy launcher plans and the engine that will power them.

Some things have changed, but the end game is STILL a mindblower. 800lb gorillas are pounding on the door, and SpaceX is cutting/printing metal..

One thing is certain: their main purpose is going to Mars, with perhaps a trip to the Moon just to prove capabilities (per Musk.)

I've filled in some gaps to flesh out the big new rocket motor, labeling or bracketing where.

(BFR =Big F'ing Rocket)
(Core diameter = stage width)
(S1 = first stage)

Raptor:
Full-Flow Staged Combustion (FFSC) engine
Dual independent shaft turbopumps
Propellants: Methane/liquid oxygen
Maximum thrust: 1,000,000 lbf (Merlin is 147,000 lbf)
Specific Impulse (Isp): 321 seconds sea level, 363 seconds vacuum

What it means:

Full Flow Staged Combustion engines are very advanced. In very basic terms, Staged Combustion means the turbopump exhausts are recycled and run through the firing chamber to up efficiency. In a Full Flow Staged Combustion engine the turbopumps also run cooler because of a higher mass flow, they use high chamber pressures and are therefore compact for their power. They also differ by injecting their propellants as gases and not liquids. Russia calls them Gas-Gas because of this. FFSC's are also highly reusable.

The super-heavy rockets:

BFR because of no official names, yet. More info on these monsters in another thread dedicated to them. Images above created by a Russian rocket designer based on background info. The full images are stunning, but those are for later - many details are still in the black for a short bit.

I will say this: previous sims of similar Raptor powered launchers have UNDERESTIMATED the power of these beasts, especially the tri-core..

Hint: think the 1962 Sea Dragon rocket.

Single core BFR
A massively scaled-up Falcon 9 theme
Core diameter: 10m (32.8 feet, F9 is 12 feet)
S1: 9x Raptors in an Octaweb
S2: (redacted)

Tri-core BFR
A massively scaled-up Falcon Heavy theme
Core diameter: 10m (32.8 feet) x 3
S1: 27x Raptor in 3 Octawebs (O-O-O)
S2: (redacted)

MCT: (Mars Colonial Transporter)
No specifics, still in dev. BIG. More later.

What it means:

Both BFR's will be more powerful than any rocket ever flown, or even NASA's Space Launch System. The tri-core by a LOT. No current launch pad on Earth could handle it, they would be heavily damaged or destroyed. They need a bigger pad.

Raptor testing:

Work converting the NASA Stennis E2 (E Complex #2) test stand for methane engine component tests is almost finished, and SpaceX has been embedded for months.

Many outside rocket engineers speculate the full Raptor will be tested at NASA Stennis A Complex's A1 or A2 stands, not McGregor. We'll see.

There is also a contingent that sees indications there are already huge payloads for these beasts. A Bigelow Aerospace BA-2100 Olympus space station module (2x the volume of ISS), a govt./military payload, who knows?, but the vibe is palpable. People are scrounging recent conference reports for clues.

NASA Stennis test stands. The E Complex is in the foreground, the large A Complex stands are in the middle, and the B Complex is at the rear.

[Dr Mordrid]

A pic showing just how huge the single core Raptor based BFR ('big f'ing rocket' - placeholder name) super-heavy booster will be. Now imagine the triple-core at >34 meters wide (counting inter-stage connectors, landing gear etc)....

[Dr Mordrid]

The masses to Low Earth Orbit for these monsters are becoming clearer by way of still black background data and some zealous and experienced aerospace engineers who have been running the numbers. These are still unofficial, but they are VERY informed estimates with moderate assumptions. Remember that Saturn V could do about 110+ tonnes.

In disposable mode

Single core: 150-200 tonnes
Triple-core: 475+ tonnes

In reusable mode 30% - 50% less.

[Evildead666]

Huge Space Station / Space Dry Dock here we come

[Dr Mordrid]

Huge Space Station / Space Dry Dock here we come

These beasts are sized for the Bigelow BA-2100 Olympus expandable space station habitat (2100 m3 volume, 2x the ISS each), one configuration of which has a giant airlock for bringing in 2 spacecraft for servicing.

NASA is on record that the next station the US is involved with will likely be commercial, and they've been working with Bigelow on these techs since 1999. Bigelow is teamed with SpaceX, Boeing, Paragon SDC (environmental controls & life support systems), and a Canadian aerospace company called Thin Red Line who has also done work with NASA on expandable habitats. This is a very big deal.

Spacedock configuration
ba-2100_bay.jpg

Standard configuration
feature_spacelandlord19__02__inline605.jpg

[Evildead666]

Space Dry Dock as in "Place to make Huge Inter-Planetary Vehicles" with 100's of people onboard, lots of shielding etc...
Lets Go nuts

[Dr Mordrid]

Come up with the propulsion system. Right now the most promising thing is a pulsed fusion rocket being developed by the U. of Washington and a private fusion.ourfit for NASA's NIAC program, and it's still sub-C.

[Evildead666]

"If you build it, they will come".
We don't need to get to the outer planets very quickly, if we are in full comfort.
A very large space vehicle, with all that is needed to sustain life, would be able to plod along around our solar system using Solar power for now.
Lets get the vehicles up and running, and tested, and get the Deep Space propulsion system somewhere along the way or after.

But lets get into Space, and now. No need to wait for the propulsion system yet.

A few of the BFR-Heavys could take enough to build quite a large "moving space station"...

[Dr Mordrid]

Back to the Russian engines issue for a bit....

This anti-Russian engine language is making the rounds in Congress. Ups the ante as regards the RD-180 and NK-33 engines ULA and Orbital Sciences have been using.

Link....(pdf)

[Evildead666]

What do the Air Force/Army use to send their rockets ?
They have their own launchers at one if the Air Force Bases iirc...It how they send their classified satellites etc up into orbit.

Do they use Russian sourced engines, or are they too small/Not Suitable ?

[Dr Mordrid]

The USAF uses the Atlas V to launch most NRO (National Reconnaissance Office) satellites. The very largest ones go up on the Delta IV Heavy.

Delta IV Heavy is all US made, but VERY expensive at about $300-400M per launch.

Atlas V uses RD-180 engines made by Russia's NPO Energomash. Orbital Sciences is also looking at RD-180 as a substitute for the AJ26/NK-33 in their Antares launcher.

The RD-180 is imported by RD AMROSS, a joint venture between Aerojet Rocketdyne and NPO Energomash. Under the joint venure Aerojet Rocketdyne has production rigjts, but the US govt. has yet to fund it. It was first delayed by the financial crisis, but the second delay is all on this Administration and the US Senate.

This engine choice was thought up in the 1990's and finalized in 2000 for 2 reasons: 1) price, 2) to give experienced Russian engineers work after the fall of the USSR so they'd be less likely to freelance for NK, Iran etc. By and large it worked.

The problem now is that part of Putin's "act" the last few years is threatening to cut off the supply of RD-180's in retaliation for the US disagreeing with him on about anything, including the recent kerfuffle. We are finally taking this seriously as it presents a risk to our national security launches.

The on-hand supply of RD-180's would last about 2 to 2.5 years. To start domestic production could take 4-5 years. Such a gap cannot be allowed.

As such, there are moves in Congress and elsewhere to get domestic production started, develop a new domestic engine, and use alternative launchers like the Falcon 9 (for 90% of Atlas V launches) and Falcon Heavy (for heavier Atlas V and Delta IV Heavy payloads.)

Falcon Heavy will also be much cheaper than Delta V Heavy at $85-135M and can lift 2x as much.

Then there are those new SpaceX super-heavy birds....

[Dr Mordrid]

Raptor engine component tests begin in about 1 month.

http://mseigs.com/nasa-spacex-cut-ri...g-partnership/

NASA, SpaceX Cut Ribbon To Launch Testing Partnership

An April 21 ribbon-cutting ceremony at NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, Miss., marked the beginning of a new NASA and Space Exploration Technologies Corp. (SpaceX) partnership aimed at continuing to propel America’s burgeoning commercial space program forward and enhance utilization of NASA’s advanced test facilities. Several Mississippi leaders joined NASA and SpaceX representatives for the ceremony including Gov. Phil Bryant, U.S. Sen. Thad Cochran and U.S. Rep. Steven Palazzo.

SpaceX signed a Space Act Agreement with the space agency last fall to test components of its methane-fueled Raptor rocket engine on the E-2 Test Stand at Stennis. SpaceX is developing the Raptor as a reusable engine for a heavy-lift launch vehicle.

“This is a great partnership between NASA and SpaceX,” Stennis Center Director Rick Gilbrech said. “These types of activities are opening new doors of commercial space exploration for companies. SpaceX is another example of the outstanding progress America’s commercial space industry is making, and we are happy to welcome them as our newest commercial test customer.”

Since the fall, Stennis has performed necessary maintenance to prepare the test stand and completed equipment modifications needed to accommodate Raptor components.

With preparations complete, the ribbon-cutting ceremony paves the way for testing which is scheduled to begin within a month.

“SpaceX is proud to bring the Raptor testing program to NASA’s Stennis Space Center and the great state of Mississippi,” said Gwynne Shotwell, President and COO of SpaceX. "In partnership with NASA, SpaceX has helped create one of the most advanced engine testing facilities in the world, and we look forward to putting the stand to good use.”

The Mississippi Development Authority and the Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission played key roles in the endeavor by fostering and supporting the new partnership.

[Evildead666]

oooh. With luck some nice test videos too

[Dr Mordrid]

The early tests will be of the powerhead - basically everything above the combustion chamber and propellant nozzles.

Full_flow_staged_rocket_cycle.png

RD-0162.jpg

[Dr Mordrid]

HOLD THE PHONE....

At 10:00 AM on Saturday May 17 Jeff Thornburg, Spacex's Principal Propulsion Engineer will make a presentation about Raptor at ISDC 2014 (International Space Development Conference), which takes place between may 14-18

Title: "Raptor High Performance Rocket Engine"