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Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine has reported (on Oct. 25, in an article by Irene Klotz, James Drew and Guy Norris) that Blue Origin (Kent, WA, US) has completed its first successful hotfire test of a full-scale methane-fueled BE-4 rocket engine that is expected to not only power Blue’s fleet of reusable orbital New Glenn vehicles but also replace the Russian-made engines used by United Launch Alliance (ULA, Centennial, CO, US) boosters, says the AW&ST article.

According to the article, ULA had postponed finalizing a contract with Blue Origin for engine procurement following the loss of a set of BE-4 powerpacks during testing earlier this year. The powerpacks are critical pieces of turbomachinery that push fuel and oxidizer through to injectors for combustion. Blue Origin in May disclosed that a set of powerpacks had been destroyed during testing in West Texas. On Oct. 19, via Twitter, the company announced that its first hotfire of a BE-4 engine was a success. According to AW&ST, Blue Origin did not immediately provide details about the duration and power levels of the burn. The BE-4 engine, says the article, is the biggest methane-fueled rocket engine ever built; methane has a density closer to that of oxygen than alternative cryogenic fuels such as hydrogen, and therefore is suitable for use with simpler turbopump designs, but there are many unknowns about combustion characteristics, requiring careful design and test of the engine’s components.