SpaceX’s new Raptor 3 is the most advanced rocket engine ever built Key upgrades over earlier Raptors: • Nearly double the thrust compared to Raptor 1 • About 4× cheaper to manufacture, dramatically lowering launch costs • A simplified design that saves over 40 metric tons of mass per... Starship launch • Durable enough to eliminate the need for an external heat shield, reducing complexity and maintenance Raptor 3 is designed to fly on Starship Version 3, with first flight targeted for early 2026show more

@elonmusk “ Starship Booster runs 33 Raptor each Raptor is producing twice as much thrust as all four engines of a 747. The Raptor engine is smaller than a 747 engine, but is producing almost 10× the thrust of a 747. So it’s extremely high power to weight ratio.” — Elon Musk

Without the Raptor V3, Starship would be massively overweight and would be much less important. Raptor V3 needs no heavy heat shields and no heavy fire suppression systems. With Starship soon having 42 Raptor engines, all these engines plus engine support systems add up to a lot of weight. We are talking about over 70 metric tons with the "light" Raptor V3 or over 150 metric tons with the original heavy Raptor V1. Most of the increase in lift capability between Starship V3 and V1 is due to lighter engines and engine support systems! (Starship V1 could lift about 15 tons while Starship V3 can lift 100 tons.) More info: The Raptor V3 is 3D-printed with channels that the cold fuel flows through to solve the problem of heat. By cold, we mean around -250F! Heat shields create enclosed spaces where dangerous gases can accumulate. Remove the heat shields, and then you don't need fire suppression.

@elonmusk Starship is hope

That is the real unlock. Cheaper, simpler, more durable engines turn spaceflight into manufacturing, not miracles. Scale always wins

Every new upgrade brings humanity closer to permanent flights to Mars 🚀

We can do it!

@elonmusk We’re not far from space travel being accessible to many more than a select few. Absolutely incredible. Thank you @elonmusk for constantly pushing the envelope.

@elonmusk

But if heat shield issues are not resolved, nothing else matters, right? If each tile was #connected to adjacent tiles, using 🔺supports below each tile, do you think this might keep tiles from flying off?🤷‍♂️ IMO, depending on design, it could limit #plasma entry🙃 @elonmusk

Wild how fast this is moving. Cheaper, lighter, stronger engines change everything for space access and long term missions.

@elonmusk 🔥😽

doubling performance while cutting manufacturing cost by 75% is the kind of engineering iteration that actually enables mars missions. this is why vertical integration matters

Wow, doubling thrust and slashing costs? Guess Elon finally found the "delete complexity" button on his keyboard.

When rocket engines start getting simpler instead of more complex, you know something big is shifting.

@elonmusk Such results are not achieved through complacency fueled by taxpayer money, but rather through entrepreneurial ambition and discipline. Great job. Keep it up.

Real innovation isn’t about power. Simplification is sophistication.

Raptor 3 isn’t just an engine upgrade it’s a cost and reliability breakthrough. By slashing mass, parts, and price at the same time it boosts thrust, SpaceX is turning Starship from an experimental rocket into an industrial launch system. This is how spaceflight stops being rare and starts being routine.

@elonmusk That's absolutely awesome! Congratulations, if anyone can do it, certainly @elonmusk can ❣️EM🌙🚀🔴 World Genius and American Patriot 🇺🇲🇺🇲🇺🇲

So, 4x cheaper and 40 tons lighter per launch. Sounds like Starship V3 is just making it easier to reach Mars, or at least perfect the art of 'rapid unscheduled disassembly' with a much smaller budget. Early 2026, here we come.

@elonmusk Raptor 3 represents an aggressive iteration toward manufacturability and reusability, but its true impact will only be clear post-flight and post-reuse.

I am curious about the material of the nozzle. I don't see a cooling system. Is it embedded into its structure?

Compare the age of Space X to NASA and it's crystal clear that government projects will always lag behind private organizations. What Space X has created and accomplished is mind blowing.

The crazy part is that they will need more thrust when they move on to V4 Starships. So Raptor 3.5 or Raptor 4 should be in the early design phase as well.

This is so amazing

@elonmusk Congratulations, the new home improvement at SpaceX is a new improvement for humanity.

Name it yee

Real innovation isn’t just more power. It’s fewer parts, lower cost, and scale.

Cutting mass and cost at this scale reshapes launch economics and operational cadence significantly.

Send it to Mars

Raptor 3 drops costs like a bear market

@elonmusk 😘

True strength comes from genuine innovation and that drives real progress!

Hey stop stealing the work of @SawyerMerritt

Via Negativa in action. The most critical upgrade isn't what was added, but what was removed. Removing 40 tons of mass and the heat shield proves that complexity is often just a mask for inefficiency.