For decades, rockets relied on kerosene, hydrazine, hydrogen, or solids. Now, SpaceX’s Raptor and Blue Origin’s BE-4 engines power next-gen methalox rockets-burning methane and liquid oxygen for reusability and cleaner combustion.
As companies like Rocket Lab and Relativity Space adopt methane, NASA and the US Space Force are deliberately detonating methalox systems to map blast hazards. With multiple daily launches planned at pads just miles apart, understanding explosion dynamics is critical for public safety and range operations.
Col. Brian Chatman, Eastern Range commander: “We lack data to safely shrink blast danger zones.” Methane’s warmer cryogenic temps and lower soot make it ideal-but its explosive behavior remains under study.