Is SpaceX's Raptor engine the king of rocket engines?

Everyday Astronaut ^ | May 25, 2019 | Tim Dodd

[SmokingJoe]

Another very good video report from Tim Dodd of Everyday Astronaut, this one on the SpaceX Raptor engine.
Even an ordinary man in the street like myself was able to learn from this video.

SpaceX’s new Raptor engine is a methane fueled full flow staged combustion cycle engine . Such an engine is so hard to develop, no engine like this has ever actually flown before!

These were the options on the type of engines SpaceX could have used for the Raptor engine. SpaceX chose to go with full flow staged combustion cycle engine, the engine in the last column.

FUEL:
How the Raptor engine's Methane (CH4) plus LOX compares to the Merline engine's RP1( Kerosine) and Hydrogen

The Raptor engine compared to the Merlin engine (SpaceX Falcon9), RD180 engine (Russian), F1 engine (Saturn 5 Rocket engine that sent man to the Moon), BE4 engine (Bezos's Blue Origin) and the RS 25 (Powered the Space Shuttle and will power the SLS rocket)

Comparison (Performance, Thrust, weight etc))

Comparison (Price, Re-usability, reliability etc)

At the end of it all, the Raptor is not necessarily the best in any one particular area, but it's the best overall for its purpose, which is to send men to Mars, refuel there and send men back to the earth at a low cost.. In addition, its the best for a fully reusable, quick turn round times rocket, not to mention Methane can be easily made on Mars so the Starship can be refueled and sent back to the earth, given that the "atmosphere" on Mars consists of 95% carbon dioxide, Methane (CH4) can be made on Mars.

Making methane on Mars

https://phys.org/news/2021-01-methane-mars.html

[HighSierra5]

I think Musk is ok. I saw the string of starlink sattelites this morning before dawn. 63 sattelites in a row. Spectacular!

[ProtectOurFreedom]

Too bad Uncle Stolen is working to ban methane.

[null and void]

Too bad Uncle Stolen is working to ban methane.

Well, one could argue that this engine destroys methane, which is a much worse greenhouse gas than CO₂...

[null and void]

OK, who didn’t use their </cen> tag?

[SmokingJoe]

Elon Musk can always launch his rockets from French Guiana. The French always launch their Ariane rockets from French Guyana very far from France itself. Its better to launch rockets closer to the equator anyway.
And the Turkish President is begging Musk to come do joint rocket projects with Turkey.
With His money and technologies, Musk can go launch his rockets anywhere he wants and tell Dementia Joe to go take a bloody jump.

[null and void]

That was weird.

[SmokingJoe]

[amorphous]

Those specs are a bit dated. I believe they've achieved 300 bar with the Raptor and it has flown a number of times now - with some failures.

When they get the bugs worked out, it will be the king of rocket engines for a time.

[corkoman]

Tim has a great space channel. He does a ton of research and prepares material for easy understandings.

[SmokingJoe]

The figures for the Raptor and the BE 4 are in a state of flux.
Both are still under development so are subject to change.

[SmokingJoe]

Tim has a great space channel. He does a ton of research and prepares material for easy understandings.

Yup.
Well brought up young man too.
Plus he has so much cred that Elon Musk has given him several interviews and even ex NASA boss Jim Bridenstine has given him some interviews too.

Almost everything I know about these SpaceX engines and rockets have been from his videos. I basically had close to zero kmowledge of this stuff before I started watching is videos.

[Regulator]

That’s funny. If anyone thinks an RD-180 costs $25M to build I have a bridge in Khimki to sell you.

Try about 1/10 that. the rest of it is just what RD-AMROSS tacks on.