Merlin (rocket engine)
Test firing at SpaceX McGregor's test stand of the Merlin 1D
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| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Application | Main stage engine, Upper stage engine |
| Associated L/V | Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) |
| Cycle | gas-generator |
| Performance | |
| Thrust (vac.) | 914 kN (205,000 lbf) |
| Thrust (SL) | 845 kN (190,000 lbf) |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio | 180.1 |
| Chamber pressure | 9.7 MPa (1,410 psi) |
| Isp (vac.) | 311 seconds |
| Isp (SL) | 282 s (2.73 km/s) |
| Dimensions | |
| Dry weight | 1,030 pounds (470 kg) |
| References | |
| References | |
Merlin 1C under construction at SpaceX factory
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|
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | SpaceX |
| Application | Main stage engine, Upper stage engine |
| Associated L/V | Falcon 9 |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 (rocket grade kerosene) |
| Cycle | Gas-generator |
| Performance | |
| Thrust (vac.) | 480 kN (110,000 lbf) |
| Thrust (SL) | 420 kN (94,000 lbf) |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio | 96 |
| Chamber pressure | 6.77 MPa (982 psi) |
| Isp (vac.) | 304.8 s (3.0 km/s) |
| Isp (SL) | 275 s (2.6 km/s) |
| Dimensions | |
| Length | 2,920 mm (115 in) |
| Dry weight | 1,380 pounds (630 kg) |
Merlin is a family of rocket engines developed by SpaceX for use on its Falcon 1 and Falcon 9 launch vehicles. SpaceX also plans to use Merlin engines on its Falcon Heavy. Merlin engines use RP-1 and liquid oxygen as rocket propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. The Merlin engine was originally designed for sea recovery and reuse.
The injector at the heart of Merlin is of the pintle type that was first used in the Apollo program for the lunar module landing engine (LMDE).
Propellants are fed via a single shaft, dual impeller turbopump. The turbo-pump also provides high pressure fluid for the hydraulic actuators, which then recycles into the low pressure inlet. This eliminates the need for a separate hydraulic drive system and means that thrust vectoring control failure by running out of hydraulic fluid is not possible.
Three versions of the Merlin 1C engine have been produced. The Merlin engine for Falcon 1 had a movable turbo-pump exhaust assembly which was used to provide roll control by vectoring the exhaust. The Merlin 1C engine for the Falcon 9 first stage is nearly identical to the variant used for the Falcon 1 except that the turbo-pump exhaust assembly is not movable. Finally, a Merlin 1C vacuum variant is used on the Falcon 9 second stage. This engine differs from the Falcon 9 first stage variant in that it uses a larger exhaust nozzle optimized for vacuum operation and can be throttled between 60 and 100 percent.
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Wikipedia