Methalox · full-flow staged
Raptor
Starship and Super Heavy engine family: methane/oxygen, full-flow staged combustion, high chamber pressure, reuse focus.
Engine studies
Rocket engine studies
Public engineering studies of the rocket engines that define modern launch — grouped by power cycle and propellant pair, from methalox full-flow to cryogenic upper stages.
Six engines
AeroVectrix maintains public studies of six reference engines spanning the major cycles and propellant classes in service today. Each page covers the cycle, propellants, powerhead, chamber and nozzle behaviour, and reuse considerations.
Study the engines behind the fleet.
Kerolox · gas generator
Merlin
Falcon 9 and Falcon Heavy workhorse: RP-1/LOX gas-generator cycle designed around high production cadence and reuse.
Methalox · ox-rich staged
BE-4
High-thrust methane booster engine class using oxygen-rich staged combustion; a study in domestic engine supply chains.
Hydrolox · staged
RS-25
Space Shuttle Main Engine heritage, now SLS core: liquid hydrogen/oxygen staged combustion and high-efficiency operations.
Hydrolox · upper stage
CE-20
ISRO's LVM3 C25 cryogenic upper-stage engine: LH2/LOX design centred on upper-stage efficiency and GTO performance.
Semi-cryogenic · development
SE-2000
ISRO 2000 kN-class semi-cryogenic development engine: kerosene/LOX, a non-toxic booster-stage upgrade path.
How to read these studies
Cycles, propellants, and the trade-offs behind each engine.
Every study frames the same engineering questions: which propellant pair, which power cycle, how the chamber is cooled, how the turbomachinery is fed, and how reuse changes inspection and acceptance. Exact proprietary recipes and controls are intentionally excluded.
Power cycles
Gas-generator, staged combustion (fuel- or oxygen-rich), and full-flow staged combustion trade complexity against efficiency and reusability.
Propellant pairs
Methalox, kerolox, and hydrolox each balance density, specific impulse, cooling behaviour, and ground handling differently.
Reuse discipline
Reusable engines need thermal margin, inspection access, health data, and clear acceptance criteria after every firing.
Related labs
Explore the LOX Engine Lab, Propulsion Lab, and Propellants & Fuels guide.
Related
Where these engines fly.
Each engine study links to the vehicles that carry it. Compare architectures across the vehicle fleet or run the numbers in the simulation lab.