2 ms·
New Glenn's engines are quite a bit less efficient than those at SpaceX. Lower chamber pressures, lower thrust:weight ratio, and they're partial flow staged co
by laughing_man 6mo ago
New Glenn's engines are quite a bit less efficient than those at SpaceX. Lower chamber pressures, lower thrust:weight ratio, and they're partial flow staged combustion.
I assume BO will increase their performance over time, but for now they company is about a decade behind SpaceX.
- damnitbuilds 6mo agoSpacex's work is out there ( and I am grateful for the excitement that generates ) but BO work in the shadows, surprising us sometimes with major advances. I suspect BO not as far behind as you think.
- hagbard_c 6mo agoThey'll remain behind as long as they keep copying SpaceX's concepts since they need to wait and see before they can copy.
- damnitbuilds 5mo agoI am glad there is competition and BO clearly do enough novel work that calling them copycats is simply incorrect.
- laughing_man 5mo agoThat would surprise me, given how much trouble they had supplying engines for Vulcan.
- hgoel 6mo agoThat doesn't make the BE-4 not impressive. It isn't a full flow staged combustion engine like Raptor, but it's still a highly efficient, high thrust, relightable and deeply throttleable rocket engine. These things don't often come in the same package when it comes to rocket engines.