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initially the merlin engines were $2m each, with raptor v2 coming in at under $1m, and they are pushing out 1 Raptor v3 a week now, so i'm sure they've come clo

initially the merlin engines were $2m each, with raptor v2 coming in at under $1m, and they are pushing out 1 Raptor v3 a week now, so i'm sure they've come close to their goals. You might want to push that number up by 50% to get a more realistic estimate, and then by another 100% to include labor, propellant, etc. $44m per booster starts to sound like a more reasonable number.

jwells89 3y ago
The number of iterations Raptor has seen is kind of insane. V3 seems like it’s a substantially different beast compared to the original. I suppose that’s par for the course when bringing a previously lab-bound type of engine into practical use, but still. Did Merlin see iteration at such a pace prior to being fitted on Falcon 9’s? Raptor looks to be on track to be in a considerably more refined state when Starship goes into service than Merlin was at during the same point with Falcons.
- SCM-Enthusiast 3y ago
  There's a video that i can't find, where they show Raptor v1, next to raptor v2. The raptor v1 has all these wires, and tubes and looks crazy, next to it, the raptor 2 looks super sleek and not that complex. They ended up molding everything they needed straight into the block itself. Can only imagine what the v3 designs were since they are now all internal. But what you get at the end with something like 3000 parts in it's BOM, to something like 20 parts in the BOM, because most of the parts were deleted and integrated directly into the mold.
  - chrisjc 3y ago
    Perhaps this video? Everyday Astronaut: Elon Musk Explains SpaceX's Raptor Engine! https://youtu.be/E7MQb9Y4FAE?t=140 https://youtu.be/E7MQb9Y4FAE?t=140
- dotnet00 3y ago
  Merlin saw much less major iteration, but with that it's worth considering that there is a lot more experience with Kerolox engine design out there (plus a much simpler combustion cycle). Plus it was based on a NASA reference design. I do recall from Eric Berger's Liftoff book, they struggled with the nozzle design though. Very early Merlin had an ablative nozzle. I suppose the better way to put it might be that Merlin's iteration was more in getting the production sorted out, whereas Raptor is iterating everything based on lessons from Merlin and previous Raptor iterations.

jwells89 3y ago

The number of iterations Raptor has seen is kind of insane. V3 seems like it’s a substantially different beast compared to the original. I suppose that’s par for the course when bringing a previously lab-bound type of engine into practical use, but still. Did Merlin see iteration at such a pace prior to being fitted on Falcon 9’s? Raptor looks to be on track to be in a considerably more refined state when Starship goes into service than Merlin was at during the same point with Falcons.

SCM-Enthusiast 3y ago
There's a video that i can't find, where they show Raptor v1, next to raptor v2. The raptor v1 has all these wires, and tubes and looks crazy, next to it, the raptor 2 looks super sleek and not that complex. They ended up molding everything they needed straight into the block itself. Can only imagine what the v3 designs were since they are now all internal. But what you get at the end with something like 3000 parts in it's BOM, to something like 20 parts in the BOM, because most of the parts were deleted and integrated directly into the mold.
- chrisjc 3y ago
  Perhaps this video? Everyday Astronaut: Elon Musk Explains SpaceX's Raptor Engine! https://youtu.be/E7MQb9Y4FAE?t=140 https://youtu.be/E7MQb9Y4FAE?t=140
dotnet00 3y ago
Merlin saw much less major iteration, but with that it's worth considering that there is a lot more experience with Kerolox engine design out there (plus a much simpler combustion cycle). Plus it was based on a NASA reference design. I do recall from Eric Berger's Liftoff book, they struggled with the nozzle design though. Very early Merlin had an ablative nozzle. I suppose the better way to put it might be that Merlin's iteration was more in getting the production sorted out, whereas Raptor is iterating everything based on lessons from Merlin and previous Raptor iterations.