Raptor is a family of rocket engines developed and manufactured by SpaceX. It is the third rocket engine in history designed with a full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) fuel cycle, and the first such engine to power a vehicle in flight. The engine is powered by cryogenic liquid methane and liquid oxygen, a combination known as methalox. SpaceX's super-heavy-lift Starship uses Raptor engines in its Super Heavy booster and in the Starship second stage. Starship missions include lifting payloads to Earth orbit and is also planned for missions to the Moon and Mars. The engines are being designed for reuse with little maintenance. Raptor 3 is aimed to ultimately achieve 300 tf (2.9 MN) of thrust in the booster/sea-level configuration. As of August 2024, it had reached 280 tf. It weighs 1525 kg. Chamber pressure reached 350 bar. Another goal is to eliminate protective engine shrouds. Raptor 3 moves much of the plumbing and sensors into the housing wall,where integral cooling and integral secondary flow circuits run through various sections of the engine, obviating the need for a separate heat shield. On 2 August 2024, Raptor 3 SN1 was revealed. The reduction in externally visible components was so extreme that the CEO of United Launch Alliance, Tory Bruno, falsely accused SpaceX of revealing a "partially assembled" engine while comparing it to fully assembled engines. Many bolted joints in Raptor 2 have been eliminated/replaced by single parts. However, servicing is more difficult, as some parts lie beneath welded joints. #spacex #elonmusk #engineering #construction