Propulsion method
Staged-Combustion Cycle
A high-efficiency rocket-engine power cycle in which propellant burned in a preburner drives the turbopumps and is then routed into the main chamber, so almost none is wasted. It is harder to build than the simpler gas-generator cycle but yields higher performance; the Space Shuttle's RS-25 used it, and SpaceX's Raptor uses the even more demanding full-flow staged-combustion variant.
Highlights
- ›Waste-nothing engine cycle — RS-25 and full-flow Raptor
Hardware & related concepts
Knowledge connections
- Associated withRS-25
- Associated withRaptor
- Associated withSpecific Impulse
Sources
The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.
- NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.