What is the driving idea between using a large number of small engines over a small number of large engines? Wouldn’t that increase the statistical number of failure points?
Yes, but smaller and less likely catastrophic failures...............
REDUNDACY
For one thing, just because there are 33 of them doesn’t mean that they are small engines.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Raptor#Raptor_2
Mass (kg) 1525
Thrust (t) 280
Chamber pressure (bar) 350
Specific impulse (s) 350
Engine only TWR 184
Gotta have that kinda kick because:|
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Super_Heavy
Block 3 Super Heavy
Height 72.3 m (237 ft)[4]
Diameter 9 m (30 ft)
Propellant mass 3,650,000 kg (8,050,000 lb)[4]
Powered by 33 × Raptor 3 engines[4]
Maximum thrust 80.8 MN (18,200,000 lbf)[4]
Specific impulse SL: 330 s (3.2 km/s), Vac: 350 s (3.4 km/s)
Propellant CH4 / LOX
it carries this on top:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SpaceX_Starship_(spacecraft)
The Block 2 version of Starship is 52.1 m (171 ft) tall, 9 m (30 ft) wide