Rockets and human power: Equipment and suppliers

Turbopumps, cooled chambers and chains that waste almost nothing

What this tab covers For each method, the main pieces of equipment, who makes them (by region) and what they are made of (bill of materials).

A liquid rocket stage is mostly tanks plus a few engines; a bicycle is a frame plus a drivetrain.

Liquid rocket engine²³¹¹

Pumps propellants into the chamber, burns them and expands the gas through a nozzle.

United States SpaceX, L3Harris Aerojet Rocketdyne, Blue Origin

Bill of materials

Turbopumps: high-speed turbines driven by hot gas; nickel superalloys not published
Combustion chamber: copper-alloy liner cooled by propellant flowing in channels (regenerative cooling) not published
Nozzle: regeneratively cooled metal or radiatively cooled extension not published

Propellant tanks and stage structure³⁴¹¹

Hold propellant (about 89% of lift-off mass on Falcon 9) at the lowest possible empty mass.

United States SpaceX, Blue Origin, Rocket Lab China CASC

Bill of materials

Tank walls: aluminium-lithium alloy or stainless steel, or carbon composite on small rockets not published

Drivetrain (chain, sprockets, derailleurs)⁵⁹

Transmits pedal work to the wheel with selectable gear ratios.

Japan and Korea Shimano

Bill of materials

Chain and sprockets: hardened steel; aluminium or titanium for some sprockets not published

Frame and wheels⁸

Carries the rider; low mass and low rolling resistance save energy.

Rest of world Giant (Taiwan), Merida (Taiwan)

Bill of materials