Specialists of the Russian NPO Energomash have begun work on adapting the RD-180 engine for its subsequent installation on the promising Soyuz-6 rocket. This was announced by the Director General of the enterprise Igor Arbuzov.
According to him, within the framework of the Roscosmos program to create new launch vehicles, Soyuz-5 and Soyuz-6 rockets will be produced, as well as ultra-light and coarse launch vehicles. Moreover, the latter will be assembled on the principle of a "technological designer", where each part of the rocket is an independent flight product.
“The RD-180 engine, which has unique flight statistics, will be used in the first stage of the Soyuz-6 rocket, as well as in the central block of a superheavy rocket. We have already begun active work on adapting the RD-180 to the new version of the rocket, ”said Arbuzov.
He added that during the modernization of the power plant, in particular, the emergency protection system will be improved, which will prevent the occurrence of an emergency. In addition, the updated engine will become cheaper and more reliable.
“In the adapted engine, all the experience that was gained during the creation of the RD-180 and RD-191, and even more, will be applied. This includes increased fire protection, new filters, coatings, the most advanced materials and processing technologies, a new control system, a high-speed emergency protection system that can respond to a problem at an earlier stage and instantly turn off the engines, ”said the head of Energomash.
Arbuzov also said that the RD-180 can be used to create reusable missiles: "Our engines can be used up to ten times, so we will continue to develop the necessary groundwork for the creation of reusable missiles."
Russian "American"
RD-180 was developed by specialists of NPO Energomash named after academician Glushko in the 1990s. The unit was created on the basis of the world's most powerful Soviet liquid engine RD-170, in comparison with which its mass (from 9.7 tons to 5.3 tons) and thrust (from 7904 kN to 4152 kN) were reduced.
The project was intended for export to the United States from the very beginning. In 1996, Energomash won the tender for the creation of engines for the Atlas III mid-range American launch vehicle. Subsequently, it was also installed on the newer Atlas V.
- American rocket Atlas V
- © NASA / Glenn Benson
The first flight of American missiles with RD-180 took place in May 2000. According to Roscosmos, over the past time, 116 engines were delivered to the United States, 89 launches were made - all of them were recognized as successful. Such an efficiency is unique to the world astronautics, emphasize in the corporation.
American missiles with RD-180 mounted on them are mainly used to launch commercial and government satellites. In addition, with their help, NASA sent scientific missions to study Pluto, the Moon, the Sun, Jupiter and Mars.
Cooperation between Russia and the United States in this area was somewhat complicated after Washington introduced in 2014 economic sanctions against Moscow in connection with the situation in Ukraine. A number of American politicians then called for the cessation of procurement of the RD-180.
Amid worsening Russian-American relations in the United States, efforts have intensified to create a replacement for the Energomash engine. Among them are the BE-4 project of Blue Origin, the use of AR1 engines developed by Dynetics and Aerojet Rocketdyne, as well as the production of RD-180 in the United States under a Russian license.
To date, none of these American developments has been completed, and the supply of RD-180 engines has not come under sanctions, so their deliveries continue to be carried out in the same mode, according to Roskosmos. They recalled that the president of the United Launch Alliance American company, Tori Bruno, called the RD-180 engines "a technological miracle."
Save a unique project
RD-180 engines were not previously used on Russian missiles, however, in September 2019, the head of Roskosmos Dmitry Rogozin announced that this unit would be installed on Soyuz-6.
“Most likely based on this missile (Soyuz-5.”- RT ) we will create another rocket, but of a lower class, the Soyuz-6 medium-class rocket, which will fly on the basis of the RD-180 engine, ”Interfax quoted Rogozin as saying.
At the same time, Rogozin noted that the use of the RD-180 power plant will help preserve this unique project and technological developments if the United States refuses to purchase this engine.
“This is a way out of the situation when the Americans stop deliveries, purchases of this engine for their needs, so that we do not lose this unique car, a unique motor,” he explained.
In December 2019, Energomash CEO Igor Arbuzov clarified that this was not about the original version of the RD-180 delivered to the United States, but about a modernized version of the engine.
Test launches of Soyuz-6 are planned to be carried out from the Russian-Kazakh complex Baiterek. The first start is scheduled for 2025. A launch pad for launching these missiles will also be created in Russia. The estimated completion date is 2025-2026.
- Dmitry Rogozin
- RIA News
- © Egor Aleev
In 2019, Rogozin also said that Soyuz-5 and Soyuz-6 would become prototypes for the components of the promising Yenisei superheavy class rocket, a project which is now being developed by Russian experts.
“What is especially important:“ Soyuz-5 ”becomes the prototype of the first stage of the superheavy class rocket, and“ Soyuz-6 ”becomes the prototype of the second stage of the central block of the superheavy class rocket. That is, we, making, in fact, extremely demanded withdrawal means, market ones, which are ready to fight in the market with any American and other manufacturers, at the same time we are actually working on creating a superheavy class rocket, we are already starting to develop its modules, ”Rogozin noted .
Outstanding Results
As Nathan Eismont, an employee of the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences, noted in a conversation with RT, at the moment the RD-180 is the best engine in its class.
“This engine is not surpassed in quality. Nobody in the world knows how to make such units, and maybe this situation will not change in the future, since the development of such an engine is a rather lengthy and expensive process, ”he said.
A similar opinion is shared by the head of the Space Policy Institute, Ivan Moiseev.
“Technically, this engine is very good, high quality and very inexpensive. We have sold over 100 such devices to the USA. To refuse to use it, you need to develop an analogue, and it takes a lot of time, maybe a whole decade, ”the source said.
Eismont emphasized that the hallmark of the RD-180 is its extremely high reliability - all launches were completed on a regular basis. According to him, to create a similar installation it is not enough to develop a project, which in itself costs a lot of money - it takes more years of testing and successful operation.
“The USA continues to buy them, all the while declaring that they want to refuse and are preparing something to replace it. But so far it’s not possible to replace. Not least because the RD-180 is an exceptionally reliable engine. There is no other development that could be compared with him on this parameter. It has been in operation for a long time, during which vast experience has been accumulated. This unit has proven itself, ”the expert said.
In these conditions, Eismont notes, the USA cannot afford to abandon the operation of the RD-180 due to political considerations, since this is associated with great financial risks.
“If the Americans suddenly abandon the RD-180, then they will have to abandon the Atlas V rocket, and this will entail serious financial losses, changes in the flight program. And ultimately, this will lead to an increase in risks, since an engine with the same level of reliability is now neither possible nor found to be found anywhere else. This is an objective reality, ”said the analyst.
In turn, a military expert Yuri Knutov in an interview with RT noted that using the RD-180 base to create Soyuz-6 is justified from an economic point of view.
“This is the right decision, because in this way we use proven schemes that have been tested not just for years but for decades. In addition, the use of RD-180 will help reduce the final cost of the rocket, since the development of a new device would require large expenses. The output will be an effective modern rocket, competitive in price and quality with foreign counterparts, ”the analyst concluded.