Oxygen-Rich Staged Combustion (ORSC)

A rocket engine combustion cycle where the preburner burns fuel with a large excess of oxygen, producing an oxygen-rich gas that drives the turbopump before entering the main combustion chamber. ORSCORSC enables higher chamber pressures and specific impulse than fuel-rich cycles. It is used in Russian RD-180 and SpaceX Raptor engines. The technology is relevant to advanced propulsion programs that overlap with fusion research institutions.