BE-4
Large methalox fuelled staged-combustion rocket engine by Blue Origin / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The BE-4 (Blue Engine 4)[4] is an oxygen-rich[5] liquefied-methane-fueled staged-combustion rocket engine produced by Blue Origin. The BE-4 was developed with private and public funding.[6] The engine has been designed to produce 2.4 meganewtons (550,000 lbf) of thrust at sea level.[7]
Country of origin | United States |
---|---|
First flight | January 8, 2024 (2024-01-08) |
Designer | Blue Origin |
Manufacturer | Blue Origin |
Associated LV | Vulcan Centaur New Glenn |
Predecessor | BE-3[1] |
Status | In production |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant | LOX / CH4 |
Performance | |
Thrust, sea-level | 2,450 kN (550,000 lbf) |
Throttle range | 40–100% |
Chamber pressure | 134 bar (13,400 kPa) |
Burn time | 299 seconds (Vulcan)[2][3] |
Gimbal range | ±5° |
It was initially planned for the engine to be used exclusively on a Blue Origin proprietary launch vehicle New Glenn, the company's first orbital rocket. However, it was announced in 2014 that the engine would also be used on the United Launch Alliance (ULA) Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, the successor to the Atlas V launch vehicle.[8] Final engine selection by ULA happened in September 2018.[9]
Although previously planned to fly as early as 2019, the first flight test of the new engine was launched on 8 January 2024 on the Vulcan Centaur rocket.