Starship· guided tour

Sea-Level Raptors

the ship's three

Three of the ship’s six engines have small bells, built for flying through thick air near the ground, the same reason Falcon 9’s bottom engines are small too.

How many
3
Isp, sea level
347 s
Thrust each
2,256 kN
How it works

A wide engine bell would not work down here. Thick air pushes back on the exhaust and can even shake the engine apart, so the sea-level Raptors keep a compact bell that survives that squeeze.

For the grown-up

Figures are for Raptor 2, per SpaceX’s own August 2024 release: 230 tonnes-force (2,256 kN) thrust and 347 s Isp at sea level, on a 1,630 kg dry engine.

SpaceX Raptor