Lockheed Martin Buys Aerojet Rocketdyne to Compete with SpaceX
cnbc.comIf and when SpaceX gets the Superheavy Starship in orbit how the hell do they plan on competing with that? Reusability drops costs dramatically. A fully reusable first and second stage with insane payload capacity will pretty much make every other launch provider look like a joke.
By doing exactly what they are doing right now. Rocketdyne makes the engines that used to power the Space Shuttle, RS-25. RS-25 is quite comparable with the Raptor: very nearly the same thrust (about 500k pounds), higher Isp (450 in vacuum vs 380), but lower thrust-to-weight ratio (73 vs 200). The higher specific impulse makes up for the lower thrust-to-weight ratio (you need less propellant mass, but you have more engine mass). The most important aspect though is that the RS-25 is a reusable engine; for the Space Shuttle program, each RS-25 was used for an average of about 9 missions.
So, if Lockheed Martin decides to build a reusable rocket, then this engine just works off the shelf. No need for any new R&D.