Space obsession, queen confessions.
Raptor, BE-4, Zenith and Aeon all burn methane. Here is why liquid methane became the rocket fuel of the 2020s: the chemistry, the density-versus-efficiency tradeoff against kerosene and hydrogen, the cleaner burn that helps reuse, and the Mars factory idea behind the Sabatier reaction.
The BE-4 is the methane and oxygen engine that powers New Glenn and ULA’s Vulcan. Here is how oxygen-rich staged combustion works, what the thrust numbers really mean, why it ran years late, and what the May 2026 valve problem tells us.
Raptor is the first full-flow staged combustion engine to fly, and 33 of them push Super Heavy off the pad. Here is how it works, how Raptor 1, 2 and 3 differ, what the thrust, Isp and chamber-pressure numbers really mean, and which claims are official and which are just Musk talking.