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As of January 2024, two methane-fueled rockets have reached orbit. Several others are in development and two orbital launch attempts failed: Zhuque-2 successfully reached orbit on its second flight on 12 July 2023, becoming the first methane-fueled rocket to do so. [25] It had failed to reach orbit on its maiden flight on 14 December 2022.
Solid fuel rockets have lower specific impulse, a measure of propellant efficiency, than liquid fuel rockets. As a result, the overall performance of solid upper stages is less than liquid stages even though the solid mass ratios are usually in the .91 to .93 range, as good as or better than most liquid propellant upper stages.
Furthermore, these balances in efficiency-vs-power makes methane more suitable for a single-fuel rocket, which have proven more economical than dual-fuel rockets (due to less complexity). As such, methalox has made a resurgence in popularity in 21st century rockets, at the expense of kerolox (better efficiency) and hydrolox (better handling).
Bipropellant liquid rockets use a liquid fuel such as liquid hydrogen or RP-1, and a liquid oxidizer such as liquid oxygen. The engine may be a cryogenic rocket engine , where the fuel and oxidizer, such as hydrogen and oxygen, are gases which have been liquefied at very low temperatures.
Refined liquid methane as well as LNG is used as a rocket fuel, [29] when combined with liquid oxygen, as in the TQ-12, BE-4, Raptor, and YF-215 engines. [30] Due to the similarities between methane and LNG such engines are commonly grouped together under the term methalox .
Raptor is a family of rocket engines developed and manufactured by SpaceX. It is the third rocket engine in history designed with a full-flow staged combustion (FFSC) fuel cycle, and the first such engine to power a vehicle in flight. [15] The engine is powered by cryogenic liquid methane and liquid oxygen, a mixture known as methalox.
(The Center Square) – Methane emissions from the largest oil- and natural gas-producing basins fell 44% between 2011 and 2013, according to newly published data from the Environmental Protection ...
Hydrogen can be deployed as a fuel in two distinct ways: in fuel cells which produce electricity, and via combustion to generate heat. [58] When hydrogen is consumed in fuel cells, the only emission at the point of use is water vapor. [58] Combustion of hydrogen can lead to the thermal formation of harmful nitrogen oxides emissions. [58]