Autophage engines:
Rockets that eat themselves may be on the way. To reach orbit, a rocket must hoist its own mass and the mass of its propellant as well as whatever payload it is trying to carry into space. But if a rocket could burn its own parts as fuel, it could free up capacity for transporting more important science projects and supplies. A team of engineers has built a prototype of one of these “autophage engines” for the first time. [“Prototype rocket engine burns itself up for fuel as it flies,” Leah Crane, NewScientist (20 January 2024, paywall)]
Rather puts a kink in the whole reusability argument, doesn’t it?
