The Raptor Retrofit

Used Raptor engines make their way to the cargo plane industry.

In 2032, the aerospace world buzzed with a radical idea: SpaceX’s used Raptor engines, retired from Starship missions, were being repurposed for aviation. These methane-fueled beasts, capable of 230 tons of thrust, were too potent for most aircraft, but a visionary startup, AeroNova, saw potential. They aimed to retrofit cargo planes with these engines, slashing fuel costs and enabling hypersonic freight transport.
The story begins at AeroNova’s hangar in Mojave, California. Engineer Lila Chen, a former SpaceX propulsion specialist, led the project. Used Raptors, pulled from Starships after 50+ launches, were piling up at SpaceX’s boneyard. Each engine, still packing 95% of its original
performance, was a bargain at $2 million—pocket change compared to new jet engines. Lila’s team had to tame these monsters for aircraft like the Boeing 747-8F, a freight workhorse.


The challenge was immense. Raptors burned liquid methane and oxygen, not jet fuel, requiring cryogenic tanks and new fuel systems. Their thrust was overkill for subsonic flight, so Lila’s team designed a throttle control to dial down output to 10% for cruising. The 747’s wings were reinforced to handle the engines’ weight and vibration, and heat-resistant nacelles were crafted to contain the Raptor’s fiery exhaust, which hit 3,300°C.


The first test flight was a spectacle. On a crisp desert morning, the modified 747, dubbed FreightStar, roared down the runway. The four Raptors, mounted under the wings, glowed faintly as methane ignited. The plane leapt into the sky in seconds, climbing at a near-vertical 45 degrees. Spectators gasped as FreightStar hit Mach 1.5 in under a minute, a cargo plane moving like a fighter jet. Lila, watching from mission control, grinned as telemetry showed stable performance.


But trouble brewed. At 40,000 feet, one Raptor’s turbopump began to cavitate, starved of liquid methane due to a tank insulation failure. The engine auto-shutdown, a SpaceX safety feature, kicked in. The plane wobbled but stabilized on three engines. Lila’s team guided the pilots to reduce speed and land safely. The incident sparked debate: were Raptors too complex for aviation?


AeroNova pressed on. They redesigned the fuel system, adding redundant pumps and better insulation. By 2034, FreightStar was hauling 150 tons of cargo from Shanghai to Los Angeles in 90 minutes at Mach 4, cruising at 80,000 feet. Fuel costs were 60% lower than traditional jets, thanks to cheap methane and the Raptors’ efficiency. Competitors scrambled to catch up, but AeroNova’s head start—built on Lila’s ingenuity and SpaceX’s cast-off engines—gave them the edge.


The skies changed. Hypersonic cargo flights became routine, delivering goods faster than ever. Used Raptors, once destined for scrap, powered a new era of aviation. Lila, now AeroNova’s CTO, looked up at a FreightStar streaking overhead, its contrail glowing in the sunset. She knew the stars weren’t just for rockets anymore.