Blue Origin, a company that wants to compete with SpaceX, has successfully experimented with the largest rocket engine in the United States. The BE-4 engine was successfully tested earlier this month, but the company released the video much later.

BE-4 is very important not only for Blue Origin but also for the US space industry as a whole, as this engine will be used in three rockets: Ariane 6 by Arianespace, Vulcan Centaur by ULA and New Glenn Blue Origin. And with the development of the engine in the last case it did not go very well for a long time, and the release plans were repeatedly delayed for five years.

Earlier this year, an engine in a BE-4 flight configuration wobbled 8 degrees while operating at 100% power. 🔥🔥🔥 pic.twitter.com/Ca3bgkerhk

– Blue Origin (@blueorigin) May 3, 2022

The BE-4 can generate a thrust of 2.45 MN at sea level according to its specifications. For comparison, SpaceX’s Raptor 2 developed 2.36 MN of thrust in tests. At the same time, the new SpaceX launch vehicle will be able to launch up to 100 tons of cargo into low Earth orbit, and New Glenn will be able to deliver only 45 tons in the first due to the large number of engines. If Blue Origin finishes its engine in time, the first launch of all three missiles aboard the BE-4 is scheduled for this year. Source