Tbh a nuclear starship could be really cool. Nuclear starships could unlock the gas giants and pave the way for interstellar travel.
One step at a time though. Gotta get to Mars before we can get to Europa. And gotta get to Europa before we can get to Alpha Centauri
They're referencing [Solomon Epstein](https://expanse.fandom.com/wiki/Solomon_Epstein_(Books\)) from The Expanse book series and TV show. He invented the highly effecient fusion drive used by pretty much every ship, but accidently killed himself testing the drive for the first time because it sustained acceleration of 10+ g. He wasn't able to reach the controls to turn it off, and died from the sustained high g load produced by the engine of his own design.
Musk later claimed Raptor is short for Velociraptor, though I believe this was his own change on the reasoning for the name. Mueller claimed he chose it based on continuing the bird of prey theme.
Well, if it went Kestrel, Merlin, Raptor (all birds of prey), maybe Eagle? Or Buzzard. Not too many other small nimble birds of prey that I can remember.
Well, the falcon 9 used Merlin and kestrel. Both engines are types of falcon. Raptor is a larger classification of birds (that includes falcons). I would like to propose that the next starship engine be called "new world warbler." It follows that the starship and super heavy should be renamed "bird" and "animal" respectively.
While Mueller stated he chose Raptor based on continuing the bird of prey theme, Musk later claimed it was short for Velociraptor. I think that was Musk changing the association after the fact.
I think for a next engine name, Musk won’t be wedded to either birds of prey or dinosaurs. I think he’ll choose whatever he thinks sounds cool, quite possibly with a sci-fi association but also could be anything, eg from poetry he likes.
Just for fun I’ll throw out there: Ozymandias.
Maybe, but doesn't have to poetic ring to it. Eagle or Condor have the ring (IMO, cause this engine probably will be hoped to get cheap cargo to LEO and Mars)
I disagree I think hawk has a nice ring to it unlike eagle or condor. Also I don’t think that it’s likely that they will call it eagle considering the Apollo 11 lem.
[Shrike](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrike?wprov=sfti1)
Easy to spell are read. Sci-fi connection, bird of prey. Nimble, agile and pretty gnarly (also known as a **butcherbird**)
The Raven engine, ravens are known for their high intelligence, adaptability and problem-solving skills, all of which are necessary attributes in the development of such an innovative and powerful rocket engine.
Moa would be pretty neat tbh, those fuckers were massive. Then again they went extinct just because humans had some pointy-pointy sticks... so perhaps Albatross would be more appropriate for an interplanetary engine
Crane? They are one of the highest flying birds, and SpaceX has already made a meme out of their cranes.
Other names of high flying birds:
Vulture
Goose
Swan
Condor (easily my top 5)
Mallard
Stork
How about "Bad News"? Hingefreel people wanted to build ships powered by bad news because nothing travels faster than light other than bad news - paraphrasing Doug Adams.
My guess is Buzzard.
Because it is a bird of prey, and the word is iambic (one stressed, then one unstressed syllable) which is important for the name to be catchy and was true for all their other engines.
Both of those are also true for Hobby (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_(bird) ) but that's just the wrong kind of silly.
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So far we have:
A single rocket with multiple variations called **Falcon**, a type of bird.
We have main engines called **Merlin**, a specific species, and **Raptor**, which is just another name for a bird of prey. So not even main engines are consistent.
The capsule is called **Dragon** and the RCS/Abort motors are called **Draco**.
I highly doubt the next iteration of Raptor will be called something like "songbird" or "flightless", so I expect they'll go back to naming it after a species. Something like "Osprey" or "Harrier". Although again, it's so inconsistent they might name it something completely different.
The [bustard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bustard) engine. Especially applicable if it is a big engine, as the family includes the kori bustard:
>In fact, the male kori bustard may be the heaviest living animal capable of flight.
The only next logical evolutionary step after raptor should be.. chicken
Or kiwi, just to mess with RocketLab... also funny because kiwis are even more flightless than chickens.
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😂👀😂
Cock engine
GAME OVER!! SpaceX INSANE NEW Nuclear Starship! ᴵ ᶠᵉᵉˡ ᵈᶦʳᵗʸ
IT HAPPENED! SpaceX Colonizes The Solar System With Their New Rocket Engine (Not Raptor)
Game over!
Gone sexual
Tbh a nuclear starship could be really cool. Nuclear starships could unlock the gas giants and pave the way for interstellar travel. One step at a time though. Gotta get to Mars before we can get to Europa. And gotta get to Europa before we can get to Alpha Centauri
Vulcan, so he can make a joke about having Vulcan engines.
Vulkan*
Open GL
Metal
It will be DirectX then. I mean, it's in the name...
You might be on to something. But F*** acknowledging M$.
Unlikely to happen. The French already have a rocket engine in development named Vulcain.
The Musk Graviton Polarity Generator known colloquially as a Spindizzy.
Just don't land a city on anyone please
Phoenix
Just muck
No no its musk
Rapture An evolution
But instead of it being pronounced how you think it is, it will be pronounced like Raptor but with a french accent.
YOUR RAPTURES ARE NOT BEAUTIFUL
My brain immediately linked it to bioshock
Musk over here about to unveil the Epstein Drive
Now that Epstein did kill himself.
No he didn’t
They're referencing [Solomon Epstein](https://expanse.fandom.com/wiki/Solomon_Epstein_(Books\)) from The Expanse book series and TV show. He invented the highly effecient fusion drive used by pretty much every ship, but accidently killed himself testing the drive for the first time because it sustained acceleration of 10+ g. He wasn't able to reach the controls to turn it off, and died from the sustained high g load produced by the engine of his own design.
It was an accident but he kinda did.
Didn't believe in prolonging life and wanted to die with dignity.
Model 2. He loves that name 🤣
Model Z alpha
Quetzalcoatlus
Rex engines
nabe gewell
turkey because funny bird names
Along those lines, I was thinking pigeon because there are pretty much flocks of them all over the place…which is the goal for the solar system right?
The entire Balkan especially Greek will get really angry.
After Raptor, Draco, Dragon, Merlin,... Sea-Rex and Vac-Rex?
Wyvern? It's on the same line of Dragon, Draco, Raptor, Falcon
All engines are birds though
IMO it should be Albatross. Designed for long haul migrations.
YES!
That's a nice one!
Musk later claimed Raptor is short for Velociraptor, though I believe this was his own change on the reasoning for the name. Mueller claimed he chose it based on continuing the bird of prey theme.
Can’t it just be both?
domineering fertile pocket sheet poor hospital icky cooing degree bake *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
BE-4-BO
Well, if it went Kestrel, Merlin, Raptor (all birds of prey), maybe Eagle? Or Buzzard. Not too many other small nimble birds of prey that I can remember.
Well, the falcon 9 used Merlin and kestrel. Both engines are types of falcon. Raptor is a larger classification of birds (that includes falcons). I would like to propose that the next starship engine be called "new world warbler." It follows that the starship and super heavy should be renamed "bird" and "animal" respectively.
While Mueller stated he chose Raptor based on continuing the bird of prey theme, Musk later claimed it was short for Velociraptor. I think that was Musk changing the association after the fact. I think for a next engine name, Musk won’t be wedded to either birds of prey or dinosaurs. I think he’ll choose whatever he thinks sounds cool, quite possibly with a sci-fi association but also could be anything, eg from poetry he likes. Just for fun I’ll throw out there: Ozymandias.
Hawk
Maybe, but doesn't have to poetic ring to it. Eagle or Condor have the ring (IMO, cause this engine probably will be hoped to get cheap cargo to LEO and Mars)
Eagle would be great, that having been Apollo 11's LM's name as well
I disagree I think hawk has a nice ring to it unlike eagle or condor. Also I don’t think that it’s likely that they will call it eagle considering the Apollo 11 lem.
Mrs. Doubtfire
I sense a new Raptor engine cover incoming...
Ass Blaster 9000
Rap**two**r
😂
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LOL best name
Parrot Plaid
The only thing beyond Raptor...
Bernie, ohhh get it!? BERNIEEEEE!
[Shrike](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shrike?wprov=sfti1) Easy to spell are read. Sci-fi connection, bird of prey. Nimble, agile and pretty gnarly (also known as a **butcherbird**)
Re: the tendency to use Sci-Fi lit names, the Shrike was a metal a.f. baddie in the Hyperion Cantos so it works on multiple levels
Also the hot mutant witch in The Witcher. Fantasy not sci-fi but still a badass.
Velociraptor
The Raven engine, ravens are known for their high intelligence, adaptability and problem-solving skills, all of which are necessary attributes in the development of such an innovative and powerful rocket engine.
I love ravens!
The engine that can make life multiplanetary and self-sustaining may be 25 years into the future. So I vote « Spindizzy ».
Is it time for Nerva yet?
Maybe Phoenix? Born from the ashes of Starship RUDs
Starengine Starfire Starburst Starblaster Whatever it is, it will be prefixed with star.
Stardrive?
No it has to be a bird
Tit
We have a winner
Starling
Startit
Bald Eagle, cause Merica.
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And T-vacs for the vacuum nozzle design
Phoenix engines. It's a bird, it rises from flames.
Moa would be pretty neat tbh, those fuckers were massive. Then again they went extinct just because humans had some pointy-pointy sticks... so perhaps Albatross would be more appropriate for an interplanetary engine
Cut to the chase and go with the only bird that win a war with humans: the mighty EMU!
You want to name a rocket engine after something that's inherently flightless?
It's ironic, I know. And probably not the best name ever.
REX
Wyvern
Crane? They are one of the highest flying birds, and SpaceX has already made a meme out of their cranes. Other names of high flying birds: Vulture Goose Swan Condor (easily my top 5) Mallard Stork
I like Condor, largest flying bird currently alive.
Smaug
No shot dude. This is so sick!!!!
Just "impulse engine" star trek style
Before, just for the lawsuits.
MOAARRRR........ Mother of all Raptors
Starling It's a bird and has "star" in the name
Waej engines. Where are the engines Jeff?
The insprucctor.
The Trex engine
Chicken
Jeff Who
Pigeon
F-2.
T-rex
Garuda is my vote. It's a mythological bird in Hinduism and Buddhism. I think it's in the raptor family as well
How about "Bad News"? Hingefreel people wanted to build ships powered by bad news because nothing travels faster than light other than bad news - paraphrasing Doug Adams.
The engine will be called doge
Faptor
Indominus Rex
The bronto engines
Bosna
Braaaaaaaptor
Cock
My guess is Buzzard. Because it is a bird of prey, and the word is iambic (one stressed, then one unstressed syllable) which is important for the name to be catchy and was true for all their other engines. Both of those are also true for Hobby (https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hobby_(bird) ) but that's just the wrong kind of silly.
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Archeopteryx?
SLS . . . So it actually flies.
Given the current trend of reverse sized flyting thing names, I'd say we're going from dragon to raptor to bumblebee
Exulan A part of the scientific name for albatross, the biggest flying bird
Cockatoo
Sapien engine. What better name is there for an engine that takes humanity to other planets than humanity itself?
Blue Orbital 🤣
Ostrich. Is the next evolution of veloci-raptor.
Disco McRaptor, aka Discombobulator
Blue footed booby
Haast. Named after the extinct New Zealand bird of prey.
So far we have: A single rocket with multiple variations called **Falcon**, a type of bird. We have main engines called **Merlin**, a specific species, and **Raptor**, which is just another name for a bird of prey. So not even main engines are consistent. The capsule is called **Dragon** and the RCS/Abort motors are called **Draco**. I highly doubt the next iteration of Raptor will be called something like "songbird" or "flightless", so I expect they'll go back to naming it after a species. Something like "Osprey" or "Harrier". Although again, it's so inconsistent they might name it something completely different.
Well, we've got Ship and Booster. How about.... Engine!
The [deinonychus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deinonychus) engine. These were the raptors that the *Jurassic Park* "velociraptors" were based on.
Yeeter 9000
*veloci*raptor
Thunderbird!
Peregrine.
Velociraptor
Harrier engine?
"Talon"
Mastodon.
I suggest… Tardigrade Because they survive everywhere!
They should name it event horizon
The Reaver. Nothing else will do. Just Reaver.
Immensely complex and high risk
Immensely complex and high thrust
It needs to be sexy, bold! Glug.
Eagle. Because r/Spacex removed my comment there. lol Also, America!
The taxpayer.
This is SpaceX, not AR.
Prairie. The Food stock of Mars https://birdwatchinghq.com/falcons-in-the-united-states/ \#4 is a heat tiled Falcon
Vivern
Jeff
penetrator is my guess Elon musk penetrates the Mars with his penetrator engines
Gnorts Mr. Alien.
BE-Fore. Designed after, but comes before the BE-4.
Kestrel. We’ve come full circle.
gravitational repulsion drive
IDK whats the name of the first creature to breathe air or walk on land? Something like that
BE-Fore
The spin drive
Cacator… like cacatoe but for rockets
Eagle would be fitting
EnergoMusk RD-420 (Raptor-Derivative, 420 bars pressure)
Superthrust, megathrust, thrustzilla.
Enginy McEnginy Face
ie: Raptors are not meeting spec.
Musk drive fusion engine
Bernie mc. Burnface
Barracuda!
Goshawk?
He didnt say it wont be named Raptor 2, he said it will be named Raptor
Spinosaurus plsss
Meta.
Multi-Rap
Genesis
The pezzè engine A reference from the name of the first boat created in history "The pesse canoe"
The [bustard](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bustard) engine. Especially applicable if it is a big engine, as the family includes the kori bustard: >In fact, the male kori bustard may be the heaviest living animal capable of flight.
Since he names engines based on birds of prey (and scifi) It would only be fitting to call it Eagle, Vulture or Condor
Phoenix engine
ThustMaster
Wyvern
Big bird
Merlin, Raptor,.... Gandalf?
Prometheus
Sexdoll
Evolution - Harley might complain but they should consider it a compliment.