Ever Since the Merlin 1A was used in 2006, engines from SpaceX have seen steady improvements. The Merlin 1D has been used as recently as January 23, 2024, when a Falcon 9 rocket launched 22 ...
That's why rockets have to carry tanks of both fuel and oxidizer. The SpaceX Falcon 9's Merlin engines use rocket-grade kerosene (RP-1) fuel with liquid oxygen as the oxidizer. NASA's Space Launch ...
As the falling booster approached SpaceX's Texas facilities, it nailed a complex maneuver that had happened only once before. The booster fired its engines to lower itself to a catch tower ...