How SpaceX streamlined the Raptor engine
Summary
This article analyzes SpaceX's Raptor engine evolution from version 1 to version 3, focusing on how streamlined design choices reduced mass and external plumbing while boosting thrust. It discusses unofficial schematics, common umbilicals, internalized piping via 3D printing, and changes like removing heat shields and helium lines, with notes from Musk and fan sources about ongoing iterations and reliability challenges.