SpaceX ready to test new rocket engine for Mars

SpaceX sends its first Raptor engine to Texas.

The Raptor engine, also fondly referred to as the Red Dragon, is a part of SpaceX’s plan to begin developing the successful launch of their Mars mission. This mission includes the Mars Colonial Transporter (MCT) – a vehicle that is projected to be greater in size than the Saturn V, which is America’s largest production model used by NASA to lift spacecrafts large enough to carry humans beyond the Earth’s orbit.

However, what the Transporter lacked was an engine which is powerful enough to fuel the former. After several skillful attempts, SpaceX was able to build Raptor, which was recently shipped to its test side in MacGregor, Texas.

“We just shipped the first Raptor engine to Texas last night,” Space News reported SpaceX president Gwynne Shotwell as saying at the conference. “We should be firing it soon.”

The Raptor will be powered by methane and liquid oxygen and will utilize a full-flow staged combustion cycle with a low-fuel ratio. Its deep cryogenic methalox propellants will allow cooling near freezing points rather than boiling points. This is said to improve the overall performance. Raptor’s turbo pump will be manufactured using 3D printing, which is expected to increase the speed of development and iterative testing.

The Raptor engine is set to be attached to the generation of rockets that come after Falcon Heavy, which are known as the world’s most powerful rockets. Further details about the much-awaited Mars mission is expected to be made public at the International Astronautical Conference in Mexico in September.

(This Story originally appeared on Deccan Chronicle)