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Propulsion

Three Propellants.
Purpose-Built.

Every mission profile has a different propellant problem. Forge, Ember, and Glacier are each engineered around the job they're built to do, not retrofitted to do all three.

3Propellant Families
240+Static-Fire Tests Logged
12Active Test Stands
Kerolox

Forge-1

Forge-1 is our sea-level workhorse: an oxidizer-rich staged combustion engine running RP-1 and liquid oxygen, built for the dense, high-thrust job of getting a heavy vehicle off the pad. Seven of them power Horizon's first stage, with deep throttling and in-flight relight for boostback and landing.

PropellantRP-1 / LOX
CycleOxidizer-Rich Staged Combustion
Thrust (Sea Level)230,000 lbf (1,023 kN)
Isp (SL / Vac)285s / 312s
Chamber Pressure2,720 psi (187 bar)
Dry Mass1,630 kg
Throttle Range40–100%
RestartIn-Flight Relight
PowersHorizon Stage 1 (×7)
Methalox

Ember-200

Ember-200 is a full-flow staged combustion engine running methane and liquid oxygen — the cycle that keeps turbine inlet temperatures lowest while extracting the most performance from the propellant. It's rated for 40 flights and powers both stages of Pathfinder, with a vacuum-optimized variant, Ember-200V, on stage two.

PropellantCH4 / LOX
CycleFull-Flow Staged Combustion
Thrust (SL / Vac)195,000 lbf / 215,000 lbf
Isp (SL / Vac)327s / 358s
Chamber Pressure4,350 psi (300 bar)
Dry Mass1,480 kg
Throttle Range20–106%
Rated Reuses40 Flights
PowersPathfinder Stage 1 (×9) & Stage 2 (×1, Ember-200V)
Hydrolox

Glacier-90

Glacier-90 is the highest-efficiency engine we build: a closed expander cycle running liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen, with a long, slender vacuum-optimized bell. It's a single-engine upper stage built for restartable, precision burns — exactly what's needed to hit GTO and cislunar targets.

PropellantLH2 / LOX
CycleClosed Expander
Thrust (Vacuum)90,000 lbf
Isp (Vacuum)449s
Chamber Pressure1,480 psi (102 bar)
Dry Mass540 kg
Restart CapabilityUp to 6 In-Flight Restarts
Cumulative Burn1,100s
PowersHorizon Stage 2 (×1)
Propulsion Test Complex

Twelve Stands.
One Site in Huntsville.

Every engine we fly is qualified on the same stands that ran its very first hot fire — sea-level and altitude-simulating cells covering all three propellant families.