A rocket engine has a fuel supply 1 which is pumped by a turbo-pump 3 into a first heat exchanger 2 which is in thermal communication with an expansion chamber 6 before flowing into a second heat exchanger of a rocket nozzle 4 which heats the fuel. The heated fuel then exits the rocket nozzle and drives a turbine 5. The fuel then exits the turbine into the expansion chamber and is cooled by the first heat exchanger which increases the density before being pumped by a turbo-pump 7 into the rocket engine combustion chamber 8. A turbo-pump 10 driven by the turbine pumps an oxidiser 9 into the combustion chamber for combustion with the fuel. The fuel may be liquid hydrogen or liquid methane or liquid propane or liquid butane or liquid biofuel. The oxidiser may be liquid oxygen.
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