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Aerospike engine
Type of rocket engine that maintains its aerodynamic efficiency across a wide range of altitudes / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The aerospike engine is a type of rocket engine that maintains its aerodynamic efficiency across a wide range of altitudes.[1] It belongs to the class of altitude compensating nozzle engines.[2] Aerospike engines were proposed for many single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) designs. They were a contender for the Space Shuttle main engine. However, as of 2023 no such engine was in commercial production, although some large-scale aerospikes were in testing phases.[3]
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The term aerospike was originally used for a truncated plug nozzle with a rough conical taper and some gas injection, forming an "air spike" to help make up for the absence of the plug tail. However, a full-length plug nozzle may also be called an aerospike.