Falcon 9· guided tour

RP-1 Fuel Tank

the fuel half

RP-1 is a very, very clean kind of kerosene — close to the fuel in a jet plane, or the oil in an old lamp. This is the part that actually burns. The oxygen tank above just makes the burning possible.

What it is
Refined kerosene
Burn time
about 2.5 min
Partner
Liquid oxygen
How it works

Fuel plus oxygen equals fire, and fire pushed out of a hole at high speed equals thrust. The engines drink both tanks dry in about two and a half minutes. That is how fast a rocket empties itself.

For the grown-up

RP-1 is a narrow-cut, highly refined kerosene with strict limits on sulphur and olefins to prevent coking in regeneratively cooled channels. Falcon 9 runs a fuel-rich mixture ratio, which is why the exhaust is bright orange rather than clear.

Falcon 9 Block 5 — specifications