Blue Origin BE-4 engines sorts out turbopump issues
arstechnica.com
arstechnica.com
Slightly more powerful than the SpaceX Raptor (550 lbf for the BE-4 vs 500 lbf Raptor) both engines are designed for re-use. As the BE-4 gets closer to production, and the Raptor gets some flight tests under its belt, a clearer picture on the thrust to weight and dynamic range of throttling will become better understood.
But the really awesome thing is three orbital class re-usable engines available from US vendors for the first time ever. This bodes well for the US space industry. Not so good for Aerojet/Rocketdyne which, in my opinion, has basically rested on its laurels as the "only game in town" for US built engines for far too long.
I overlooked it mostly because the Merlin engine uses RP-1, and therefore has limited reuse life due to soot buildup in the engine (unless they've solved that problem). I also suspect that the Merlin engine only has limited time left as (when) SpaceX transitions to Starship.
In any case, even if the discardables are all new, it's a shameful step back. I am so glad they have competition now.
The real issue with that engine isn't its reusability, it's that the industry has learned a lot about rocket engine design, operation, and manufacturing since the RS-25 was developed. That's reflected in the engines available from the likes of Blue Origin and SpaceX. No knock on the RS-25 - it stands as a watershed achievement for humanity in the engineering of thermodynamic systems.
Though calling the SpaceX engines "available" needs the caveat that SpaceX will not make them available outside of SpaceX.
> Through 2020, ULA has not announced firm plans to fund and build/test this engine-reuse concept, though they stated in late 2019 that they were "still planning to eventually reuse Vulcan’s first-stage engines."
I remember blue orgin trying to block SpaceX from pad 39A. They even appealed NASA's decision to GAO I think. They were going to be launching orbital mission in 2018 I think with folks on board. Whatever happened to those launch plans? Elon had a pretty memorable quote I think.
"If they do somehow show up in the next 5 years with a vehicle qualified to NASA's human rating standards that can dock with the Space Station, which is what Pad 39A is meant to do, we will gladly accommodate their needs," Musk wrote. "Frankly, I think we are more likely to discover unicorns dancing in the flame duct."
Blue Origin's rocket, New Glenn, will use the same engine, be bigger than Vulcan and be reusable by landing like Falcon 9. It is supposed to launch in 2022.
1) One is New Glenn by Blue Origin, which plans to land the booster (incl. the BE-4 engine) from the get go. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=532ay25-kmU&ab_channel=Video...
2) The other rocket is ULAs Vulcan, which plans to land the engines without the booster using a parachute and helicopter. However, that plan is on paper only and it won't be implemented yet when Vulcan goes into service. As OPs article states, there isn't even an official timeline. Presumably ULA is waiting for government money to develop the capability. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lftGq6QVFFI&ab_channel=Unite...
New Glenn taking that market is pretty unlikely for many years to come.
ULA has always survived on government launches alone. Now they survive on less then half the government launches, but there are more of them.