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>Rocket technology hasn't really changed in decades. Raptor is the first full-flow engine to have flown (not on commercial missions yet, though). There are a b
by ericd 6y ago
>Rocket technology hasn't really changed in decades.
Raptor is the first full-flow engine to have flown (not on commercial missions yet, though). There are a bunch of other changes, besides that.
- avmich 6y agoHere we should add a much bigger than what was standard number of telemetry channels SpaceX had (they e.g. were listening to sounds in the tank, among other things, which helped to uncover the problem), modern signalling equipment (Ethernet onboard the rocket as the main mean of communications?), build-a-little-test-a-little philosophy of software engineering (on display with Starship, but actually there from the beginning), little nuggets like lithium alloys and stir welding for stages, best in class (thrust/weight) Merlin (for open cycle combustion engines), Dragon, bringing payloads from ISS (something only Shuttle did in large volumes and masses - but Shuttle was a completely different spaceship class) etc.