Rocket Engine Family Tree

The world's major rocket engines organized top-down: first by country, then by engine family, down to individual models with propellant, combustion cycle and thrust. Expand a country, then a family, to trace each lineage — from the 1957 RD-107 to SpaceX's full-flow Raptor.

6 countries · 18 families · 33 engine models · curated from public manufacturer and reference data

United States6 families · 12 models▸

Merlin · SpaceXGas-generator RP-1/LOX family powering every Falcon flight; the highest-flight-rate rocket engines ever built.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
Merlin 1C	RP-1 / LOX	Gas generator	480 kN	Falcon 9 v1.0	Retired
Merlin 1D	RP-1 / LOX	Gas generator	845 kN	Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy (first stage)	Active
Merlin 1D Vacuum	RP-1 / LOX	Gas generator	934 kN	Falcon 9 / Heavy (second stage)	Active

Raptor · SpaceXFull-flow staged-combustion methane family for Starship — the first engine of its cycle to fly.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
Raptor 1	CH4 / LOX	Full-flow staged combustion	1,850 kN	Starship prototypes	Retired
Raptor 2	CH4 / LOX	Full-flow staged combustion	2,300 kN	Starship (Block 1)	Active
Raptor 3	CH4 / LOX	Full-flow staged combustion	2,700 kN	Starship (Block 2+)	Active

RS-25 · Aerojet RocketdyneStaged-combustion hydrolox main engine of the Space Shuttle, now flying on SLS.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
RS-25 (SSME)	LH2 / LOX	Staged combustion	1,860 kN	Space Shuttle	Retired
RS-25E	LH2 / LOX	Staged combustion	2,000 kN	SLS (expendable production unit)	Active

F-1 · RocketdyneThe most powerful single-chamber liquid engine ever flown — five lifted each Saturn V.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
F-1	RP-1 / LOX	Gas generator	6,770 kN	Saturn V (S-IC)	Retired
F-1A	RP-1 / LOX	Gas generator	8,000 kN	Never flown (Saturn V growth study)	Retired

RL10 · Aerojet RocketdyneExpander-cycle hydrolox upper-stage engine in continuous production since the 1960s.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
RL10A/B/C variants	LH2 / LOX	Expander	110 kN	Centaur, Delta IV upper stage	Active

BE-4 · Blue OriginOxygen-rich staged-combustion methane engine flying on Vulcan and New Glenn.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
BE-4	CH4 / LOX	Oxygen-rich staged combustion	2,400 kN	Vulcan, New Glenn	Active

Russia3 families · 5 models▸

RD-107 · Energomash / Kuznetsov lineageThe Soyuz engine family — the most-flown rocket engines in history, in service since 1957.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
RD-107 / RD-108	RP-1 / LOX	Oxygen-rich staged combustion	810 kN	Soyuz (boosters / core)	Active

RD-170 · EnergomashThe most powerful liquid-propellant engine family ever built; scaled down into the RD-180 and RD-191.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
RD-170 / RD-171	RP-1 / LOX	Oxygen-rich staged combustion	7,250 kN	Energia, Zenit	Retired
RD-180	RP-1 / LOX	Oxygen-rich staged combustion	3,830 kN	Atlas V	Retired
RD-191	RP-1 / LOX	Oxygen-rich staged combustion	1,920 kN	Angara	Active

NK-33 · KuznetsovClosed-cycle kerosene engines built for the Soviet N1 moon rocket, flown decades later.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
NK-15 / NK-33	RP-1 / LOX	Oxygen-rich staged combustion	1,510 kN	N1; NK-33 later flown on Soyuz-2.1v	Retired

China4 families · 8 models▸

YF-100 · AALPTChina's oxygen-rich staged-combustion kerosene workhorse for the Long March 5/6/7/8/10 generation.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
YF-100	RP-1 / LOX	Oxygen-rich staged combustion	1,200 kN	Long March 5, 6, 7, 8	Active
YF-100K	RP-1 / LOX	Oxygen-rich staged combustion	1,300 kN	Long March 10 (crewed lunar program)	Active

YF-75 · AALPTUpper-stage hydrolox family; the YF-75D added expander-cycle restart capability.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
YF-75	LH2 / LOX	Gas generator	78 kN	Long March 3A/3B/3C upper stage	Active
YF-75D	LH2 / LOX	Expander	88 kN	Long March 5, 7A upper stage	Active

YF-20 · AALPTHypergolic gas-generator family that powered the Long March 2/3/4 series for five decades.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
YF-20 / YF-21	UDMH / N2O4	Gas generator	700 kN	Long March 2, 3, 4 series	Active

Tianque (TQ) · LandSpaceGas-generator methane family behind the first methane rocket to reach orbit (Zhuque-2) and the reusable Zhuque-3.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
TQ-12	CH4 / LOX	Gas generator	670 kN	Zhuque-2	Active
TQ-12B	CH4 / LOX	Gas generator	780 kN	Zhuque-3 (first stage)	Active
TQ-15A	CH4 / LOX	Gas generator (vacuum)	850 kN	Zhuque-2/3 second stage (vacuum thrust)	Active

Europe2 families · 3 models▸

Vulcain · ArianeGroupGas-generator hydrolox main stage engine of Ariane 5 and Ariane 6.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
Vulcain 1 / 2	LH2 / LOX	Gas generator	1,000 kN	Ariane 5	Retired
Vulcain 2.1	LH2 / LOX	Gas generator	1,140 kN	Ariane 6	Active

Vinci · ArianeGroupRestartable expander-cycle hydrolox upper-stage engine for Ariane 6.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
Vinci	LH2 / LOX	Expander	180 kN	Ariane 6 upper stage	Active

Japan1 family · 2 models▸

LE-7 / LE-9 · MHI / JAXAJapan's hydrolox main engines: staged-combustion LE-7A on H-IIA/B, expander-bleed LE-9 on H3.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
LE-7A	LH2 / LOX	Staged combustion	1,100 kN	H-IIA, H-IIB	Retired
LE-9	LH2 / LOX	Expander bleed	1,470 kN	H3	Active

India2 families · 3 models▸

Vikas · ISRO / LPSCHypergolic gas-generator family derived from the Viking engine, flown on PSLV, GSLV and LVM3.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
Vikas 1 / 2 / 4	UDMH / N2O4	Gas generator	800 kN	PSLV, GSLV, LVM3	Active

CE · ISRO / LPSCIndia's cryogenic hydrolox upper-stage engines, developed after the 1990s technology denial.▸

Engine	Propellant	Cycle	Thrust	Used on	Status
CE-7.5	LH2 / LOX	Staged combustion	75 kN	GSLV Mk II upper stage	Active
CE-20	LH2 / LOX	Gas generator	200 kN	LVM3 upper stage	Active

Engine parameters are approximate, compiled from public manufacturer fact sheets and reference sources. See our in-depth engine articles for detailed analysis of the Merlin/Raptor, RD-107→RD-170, YF-100 and RS-25 families.