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BE-4
 The first hotfire-tested BE-4, serial number 103, at the 34th Space Symposium in Colorado Springs in April 2018, showing the liquid methane inlet side of the engine | |
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| First flight | January 8, 2024 |
| 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 |
| Cycle | Oxygen-rich staged combustion |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, sea-level | 2,400 kN (550,000 lbf) |
| Throttle range | 40–100% |
| Chamber pressure | 140 bar (14,000 kPa) |
| Specific impulse | 340 s (3.3 km/s)[2] |
| Burn time | 299 seconds (Vulcan)[3][4] |
| Gimbal range | ±5° |
The BE-4 (Blue Engine 4)[5] is an oxygen-rich,[6] liquefied-methane-fueled, staged-combustion, rocket engine. It is produced by Blue Origin. BE-4 was developed with private and public funding.[7] The engine produces 2,400 kilonewtons (550,000 lbf) of thrust at sea level.[8]
The engine was initially planned to be used exclusively on Blue Origin's proprietary New Glenn launch vehicle. However, in 2014 United Launch Alliance (ULA) selected the engine for the Vulcan Centaur launch vehicle, the successor to the Atlas V launch vehicle.[9] ULA's final engine selection happened in September 2018.[10]
BE-4's first flight test of the new engine launched on 8 January 2024 on the Vulcan Centaur rocket.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
wp201409was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Jeff Bezos, Tim Dodd (15 August 2024). First Look Inside Blue Origin's New Glenn Factory w/ Jeff Bezos. Event occurs at 1:10:48.
- ^ Jan. 8 LIVE Broadcast: Vulcan Cert-1. United Launch Alliance. Event occurs at 57:11. Retrieved 11 July 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ "Vulcan Cert-1". United Launch Alliance. 8 January 2024. Retrieved 11 July 2024.
- ^ Alan Boyle (17 September 2014). "Bezos vs. Musk: Blue Origin and ULA Turn Up the Heat in Rocket Battle". NBC News. Archived from the original on 11 June 2015. Retrieved 11 June 2015.
- ^ "Rocket Engines Designed for Reuse". Blue Origin. Archived from the original on 3 February 2019. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
- ^ Berger, Eric (5 August 2021). "Blue Origin's powerful BE-4 engine is more than four years late—here's why". Ars Technica. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
- ^ "BE-4 Rocket Engine" (PDF). ULA. Archived (PDF) from the original on 27 July 2020. Retrieved 27 July 2020.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
ars20160309was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "United Launch Alliance Building Rocket of the Future with Industry-Leading Strategic Partnerships". 28 September 2018. Archived from the original on 28 September 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2018.
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