Questions tagged [rd-180]
One half of an RD-170 engine, used by Atlas V booster, built by NPO Energomash. Burns LOX/Kerosene.
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Why do Atlas III and V use Russian RD-180 engines?
The Atlas III and V first stages were powered by NPO Energomash RD-180 engines, unlike the previous Atlas II which was powered by Rocketdyne RS-56 engines.
Why did Lockheed Martin switch to Russian ...
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ULA just launched a very asymmetric Atlas V 511. Why does its plume look so asymmetric... after SRB jettison?
I've never noticed this before, so I'm asking. Shortly after SRB ejection, the RD-180 plume appears to be very asymmetric. Why is this? If I recall correctly, these are full-flow & there isn't any ...
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Rocket Plume Color for RD-180
Here is an image of an RD-180 engine firing at the Marshall Space Flight Center, 1998-11-04:
Here is the launch of the Solar Dynamics Observatory 2010-02-11:
The SDO launched on a ULA Atlas V-401, ...
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Why does the RD-180 route the preburner exhaust directly into the LOX boost pump turbine?
Isn't there $\mathsf{CO_2}$ and $\mathsf{H_2O}$ in the oxygen-rich preburner discharge? Why aren't the Russians worried that these two would freeze when the discharge is re-condensed into the LOX ...
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What is the source of the 'whoop' sound made before the liftoff (T-3s) of Atlas-V rocket?
For reference, you can hear the distinct 'whoop' sound at T minus 3 seconds mark of the recent TDRS-M launch. This sound has been distinctive for most previous Atlas-V launches as far as I can ...
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Why can't Pratt & Whitney make RD-180 engines on their own?
From Wikipedia:
Under RD AMROSS, Pratt & Whitney is licensed to produce the RD-180 in the United States. Originally, production of the RD-180 in the US was scheduled to begin in 2008, but this ...
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What was RD-180 used in, before Atlas III/V?
At NasaSpaceFlight.com, Chris Gerbhart writes:
The RD-180 has provided exceptional performance to the Atlas V and was chosen to be the engine of the first stage in no small part because of its ...
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Would two RD-190's be better or worse than a single RD-180?
With all the talk of re-engining Antares, many possibilities arise. Solids, new liquid engine, existing Russian engines (RD-180, RD-190), etc.
Focussing on the RD-1xx family though, an RD-180 is a ...
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What are the costs of the various different engines in current use?
This may be impossible to answer, since the data is often not disclosed.
But in an article, about ULA getting RD-180's from Russia it claims:
Each engine reportedly costs between \$11 to \$15 ...
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What replacement engine options are there for Antares?
Lots of articles out about how Orbital Sciences is talking with three vendors for a replacement for the NK-33/AJ26 engine pair currently used on the Antares booster.
An article on SpaceNews notes ...
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How is an RD-180 engine a reasonable replacement for 2 NK-33/AJ-26 engines on Antares?
Orbital Sciences, which uses 2 Russian NK-33 engines on its Antares booster, has been suing Lockheed Martin/ULA over anti-trust violations, since they were not allowing Orbital to buy RD-180 engines, ...
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