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[SLIDE 2]
In recent months, we have seen SpaceX switch over from Raptor 1 to the new version of
Raptor, dubbed Raptor 2. It has a large number of performance and reliability improvements.
The Raptor engine is a full flow staged combustion cycle (FFSCC) engine that runs on super
chilled liquid oxygen and super chilled liquid methane (CH4), both of which will power
SpaceX’s next-generation vehicle: Starship. The Raptor engine benefits from the highly
advantageous FFSCC cycle, maximizing the impulse generated by a given amount of
propellant — it is the third FFSCC engine to ever be developed and the first to leave the test
stand.
Raptor is constructed from SpaceX’s proprietary SX500 alloy, copper, aluminum, and steel
alloys — there is no information to suggest that these have significantly changed between
Raptor 1 and Raptor 2. The engine relies on a small amount of 3D printing; however, SpaceX
is trying to remove as much 3D printing as possible due to the inability to scale, high cost,
and low manufacturing rate.
[SLIDE 3]
Compared to the original Raptor, Raptor 2 looks borderline incomplete — a large amount of
plumbing and sensors have been removed, transitioning the engine from a “Christmas tree”
look to a significantly cleaner look. On the original version of Raptor, while SpaceX was
learning how to control the engine, a very large amount of development sensors were needed,
allowing them to track pressure and temperature throughout Raptor’s plumbing. Additionally,
many valves were combined into valve plates, helping further simplify plumbing.
By removing a large amount of these components SpaceX has made the engine more flame
and heat proof: a clear step toward SpaceX’s goal of removing all engine shrouding from the
booster, which would decrease the booster’s mass by ~6 tonnes.
Another change made to Raptor 2 to further decrease the engine’s mass is the removal of the
torch igniters in the main combustion chamber. Instead of relying on redundant torch igniters,
the well-mixed hot oxygen gas and hot CH4 gas act hypergolic under the high temperature
and pressure of the main combustion chamber (MCC).
Raptor 2 also has fewer flanges than on the original versions of Raptor. Flanges are great
during prototyping when parts need to be swapped out, but they increase mass and increase
pressure losses throughout the engine. Now that the design is more stable, SpaceX has been
able to remove many flanges on the engine, going as far as hoping to remove all flanges on
Raptor 2.5, which will further increase thrust to 250 tonnes.
The most fundamental change was opening the throat, allowing more propellant to flow
through the engine, and increasing thrust. However, this change decreases the expansion ratio
— the ratio between the area of the nozzle exit and the area of the throat. The higher the
expansion ratio the more work the nozzle does to convert high pressure into high velocity —
increasing the specific impulse of the engine.
[SLIDE 4]
Raptor 1 and Raptor 2 have the exact same nozzle exit diameter and the rest of the engine has
essentially the same dimensions. That said, Raptor 2 is significantly lighter than Raptor 1,
with Raptor 1 having a mass of 2,000 kg and Raptor 2 being 1,600 kg.
Raptor 2’s MCC pressure is an astounding 300 bar, up 50 bar from Raptor 1 — the highest
MCC pressure of any rocket engine ever.
Due to the wider throat and increased chamber pressure, Raptor has gained a significant
amount of thrust: Raptor 1 produced 185 tonnes of thrust while Raptor 2 produces 230 tonnes
of thrust. The downside, though, of opening the throat is a ~1% decrease in ISP: Raptor 1 hit
roughly 330 seconds of ISP while Raptor 2 reaches 327 seconds.
SpaceX’s primary goal is for the cost-per-tonne of thrust of Raptor to be under $1,000 — this
means Raptor needs to be ~$250,000 to produce. With this goal, it is clear that SpaceX will
continue making Raptor easier to build and cheaper, including removing all flanges on Raptor
2.5 and removing as much 3D printing as possible from the manufacturing sequence. Raptor
2.5 is set to further increase the thrust of Raptor to 250 tonnes of thrust with an MCC
pressure of 330 bar.
Additionally, SpaceX is attempting to remove all throat film cooling from the engine; there
are several ways that SpaceX could achieve this, including additional head-in film cooling or
running the MCC more fuel rich. SpaceX is currently studying if the trade-off of removing
throat film cooling would be beneficial.
Overall, it is clear that Raptor is currently in its infancy. Similar to what SpaceX did with the
Merlin engine, the engine will continue to evolve as SpaceX flies more, builds more, and
tests more.

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