// PROPULSION SYSTEMS AND ENGINE TECHNOLOGY TERM
Methalox
Methalox is a rocket propellant combination that uses liquid methane as the fuel and liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. It's increasingly popular for its efficiency, reusability potential, and relatively lower cost compared to other propellants.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Methalox is a bipropellant system utilizing cryogenic liquid methane (CH4) as the fuel and cryogenic liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer, offering advantages in aerospace propulsion due to its high specific impulse, non-coking characteristics, suitability for engine reusability, and lower production costs, positioning it as a key propellant for next-generation launch vehicles and space exploration.
BACKGROUND
The staged combustion cycle is a power cycle of a bipropellant rocket engine. In the staged combustion cycle, propellant flows through multiple combustion chambers, and is thus combusted in stages. The main advantage relative to other rocket engine power cycles is high fuel efficiency, measured through specific impulse, while its main disadvantage is engineering complexity.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Liquid Methane/LOX
- Methane-Oxygen propellant
- LOX/LCH4
- Cryogenic Methane-Oxygen
- Methane-LOX
USAGE NOTE
Methalox is a favored propellant for modern reusable rocket engines due to its performance and less coking issues than RP-1, despite the complexities of handling two cryogenic liquids.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Methalox.
SpaceX is a leading aerospace manufacturer and space transport services company known for its Starship rocket, which utilizes Raptor engines powered by liquid methane and liquid oxygen (Methalox) propellants.
Blue Origin is developing the BE-4 rocket engine, a high-performance liquid oxygen and liquid methane (Methalox) staged-combustion engine designed for its New Glenn orbital launch vehicle and United Launch Alliance's Vulcan Centaur.
Relativity Space is known for its 3D-printed rockets. Their Terran R launch vehicle will be powered by Aeon R engines, which use liquid methane and liquid oxygen (Methalox) propellants.
ArianeGroup, a joint venture between Airbus and Safran, is developing the Prometheus engine, a low-cost, reusable rocket engine designed to run on liquid oxygen and liquid methane (Methalox) for future European launchers.
Rocket Lab is developing the Neutron rocket, which will be powered by Archimedes engines. These engines use liquid oxygen and liquid methane (Methalox) propellants, optimized for reusability.
LandSpace is a Chinese private aerospace company that successfully launched the Zhuque-2, the world's first liquid methane-liquid oxygen (Methalox) fueled rocket to reach orbit.
Firefly Aerospace is developing the Miranda engine, a liquid oxygen/liquid methane (Methalox) engine designed for their upcoming Beta launch vehicle, focusing on efficient and reusable propulsion.