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The Frontier Engine is a high-efficiency and an average thrust engine that is mainly used for second stages and payload carriers that carry heavy payloads. It is the second stage counterpart of the Titan Engine and the larger version of the Valiant Engine. This engine is excellent for using it for long interplanetary transfers, since the engine has low fuel consumption.
Since it can be mounted on a 4 unit wide fuel tank, it is sometimes used as a high-efficiency replacement for the Hawk Engine, and can be used in a high stage and fed fuel by lower stages, reducing weight by only requiring a single engine. It has the second highest efficiency after the Ion Engine. It burns through 5t of fuel in 12 seconds.
Trivia
- This engine most likely represents the RS-25 SSME, Rocketdyne J-2, or the Rocketdyne J-2X.
- This engine is more efficient than the Hawk Engine but it has lesser thrust.
- Prior to 1.35, the Frontier Engine had a rather unique texture.
- This engine likely burns hydrolox (liquid hydrogen and liquid oxygen), because hydrolox powered engines give off a transparent flame.
- In real life, the Frontier Engine would probably only be more efficient in a vacuum, because rocket engines with a long nozzle and high nozzle ratio are more powerful and efficient in a vacuum, but provide less thrust and efficiency in denser atmospheres.
- Two clipped frontier engines can be used in a first stage of a rocket in place of Hawk and Titan engines, but they have half the thrust of one Titan Engine. It can also be used for interplanetary transfers that need a lot of fuel to work on.
- Four clipped Frontier Engines can be a replacement for the Titan Engine. It consumes 18% less fuel than the Titan Engine, and only weighs 12 tons more.
- As said in the description, it is a low thrust engine, but it has actually has a high thrust.
Gallery
| Parts | |
|---|---|
| Basics | Parachute • Capsule • Heat Shield • Separator • Fuel Tanks • Hawk Engine • Valiant Engine • Kolibri Engine • RCS Thrusters • Side Separator • Aerodynamic Nose Cone • Landing Leg |
| 6 Wide | 6 Wide Aerodynamic Nose Cone • Fuel Tanks • Separator • Heat Shield • Engine Base |
| 8 Wide | 8 Wide Aerodynamic Nose Cone • Fuel Tanks • Separator • Heat Shield • Engine Base |
| 10 Wide | Fuel Tanks • Separator • Heat Shield • Engine Base |
| 12 Wide | Fuel Tanks • Separator • Heat Shield • Engine Base |
| Engines | Hawk Engine • Valiant Engine • Kolibri Engine • Titan Engine • Frontier Engine • RCS Thrusters • Ion Engine |
| Aerodynamic Parts | Parachute • Side Parachute • Aerodynamic Nose Cone • Aerodynamic Fuselage |
| Fairings | Fairing |
| Structural | Structural Part |
| Other | Docking Port • Landing Legs • Ion Engine • Probe • RCS Thrusters • Wheels • Solar Panel • Fuel Pipe |
| Currently removed in Version 1.5 | |
| Battery • RTG | |
