SpaceX: Falcon 9’s Merlin vs. Starship’s Raptor Engine—Elon Musk Says Which is Simpler

SpaceX still uses combustion thrust engines with its spacecraft, and it needs that kind of power for its rocket ships that would bring its many missions to various places in the orbit and further in space. Elon Musk explains to the public the simpler space rocket to build, and there is a video interview in which the executive appeared in a vlog.

SpaceX: Falcon 9 Merlin vs. Starship Raptor Engine

The SpaceX CEO appeared in Everyday Astronaut's vlog, which talked about the engines of the company's spacecraft, focusing on the Merlin rocket from the Falcon 9, and the Raptor from Starship. Here, the executive explained the engineering and capabilities of the Merlin-1C, the company's current workhorse for the Falcon 9.

There are many missions that the Falcon 9 fulfills now, and it goes on multiple launches that make the reusable spacecraft special among the various partnerships and ride-share missions. It still is an essential spacecraft despite the company already focusing on a new rocket ship with the Starship and its Raptor engine.

The public may watch the vlog through Everyday Astronaut's YouTube upload.

Which is the Simpler Rocket According to Musk?

On Twitter, Musk replied to the tweet by the content creator about the spacecraft engine, saying that the Merlin-1C is a simpler rocket than the Raptor in terms of engineering and its creation. The Raptor engine for the Starships is one complex creation in that the company had different obstacles in its design and maintenance, something that was seen in multiple flight tests before.

SpaceX's Rocketships Now

Elon Musk's SpaceX has massive plans for the many upcoming space missions for various partner companies or agencies in the world today, focusing on fulfilling their needs to go off-planet. From missions to orbit and bringing its payload in the LEO locations, down to off-world missions that will go to the Moon or Mars, SpaceX sees a role in it.

One of the company's many ventures is a future where the Starship program will see a massive production and usage, with Musk revealing that there would be more than 1,000 Starship bound for Mars. It will go under the Polaris program that aims to be a human transport system to different worlds, with Mars being its first target.

The Falcon 9 would continue to exist, but SpaceX would use it less than it is now, especially with Starship and its Raptor being the company's main spacecraft.

Musk and SpaceX are making life multi-planetary, and it aims to bring different missions to the world in the coming years, especially now that the Starship is nearing its much needed approval for the future. The Merlin may be a simpler rocket to build and maintain compared to the Raptor, but SpaceX's focus is on the Starship and its massive space capabilities.

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Written by Isaiah Richard