Not having the power should
not be a problem for SpaceX
and its Mars Raptor.
Test-firing of this engine has
now reached lift-off levels
of power, with the company
breaking a long-held rocketry
record while it was at it.
Some 31 advanced boosters are
planned to be strapped to the
bottom of a retro-style rocket en
route into a low-Earth orbit then
onward to Mars. It needs the
power – the plan is to push some
100 metric ton of space kit.
SpaceX, and ceo Elon Musk,
say some 170 metric tons of force
per booster. In the latest recordbreaking
test-firing, the Raptor
engine hit 172 metric tons along
with a chamber pressure of 257
bar using a warm propellant. It
is anticipated this should reach
around 300 bar when using deep
cryogenic fuel.
