In science fiction movies, the flames that erupt from the tail of a starship are always eye-catching. It resembles a long fiery dragon, almost twice the length of a starship. Behind this flame lies an important technical secret – combustion chamber pressure.
The thrust of a rocket engine comes from the pressure in the combustion chamber. The higher the pressure in the combustion chamber with the same size of the tail nozzle area, the greater the thrust of the rocket. Therefore, combustion chamber pressure is an important performance indicator of a rocket engine. Among the many rocket engines, Starship's Raptor engine has successfully reached the highest combustion chamber pressure position in the world with its unique full-flow staged combustion technology.
Two years ago, the Raptor engine had already reached a combustion chamber pressure of 330 atmospheres. This figure was already impressive at the time, however, the developers of the Raptor engine were not satisfied with this. This year, in the latest tests, the next-generation Raptor engine reached a combustion chamber pressure of 350 atmospheres. Not only is this number world-class, but to date, no other engine has been able to match this record.
Full-flow staged combustion technology is the core competency of Raptor engines. Its unique combustion chamber design achieves an efficient and stable combustion process, resulting in the world's highest combustion chamber pressure. The breakthrough of this technology not only greatly improves the thrust of the starship, but also allows it to go further on the road of space exploration.
In China, the research and development of rocket engines is also constantly innovating. Although there is still a certain gap between China's combustion chamber pressure and the world's most advanced level, it is believed that in the near future, China's self-developed rocket engine will emerge on the world stage.
The flames spewing out of the tail of the starship are like a flag, marking the vigorous development of China's aerospace industry. The length of this flame bears witness to the tireless pursuit of China's scientific researchers. In the competition in the global aerospace field, China is taking the Raptor engine as an example to continuously break through the technical bottleneck and move towards the world's first-class.
The mystery of the combustion chamber pressure has been solved, but the story behind the flame continues. On the way forward of the starship, China's aerospace industry will continue to refresh its heights and uncover more mysteries of the universe for mankind around the world.