In XCOR’s Methane/LOX Engine Tests Go “Incredibly Well”, a new innovative rocket engine, the 5M15, has been successfully tested using methane-oxygen, a combination targeted towards exploration of Mars.

The 7,500 lbf engine is the first of its kind, as methane-oxygen (a fuel-oxidizer combination superior to those currently in use today) has long been ignored by large aerospace companies and NASA as having too much “technology risk.” The engine is the result of a contract that XCOR has with Alliant Techsystems (ATK). Currently, the engine is a workhorse prototype, and does not have any cooling mechanism. However, XCOR has plans to construct a regeneratively cooled engine during this year.