According to Russian publications, the Russia-based rocket propulsion company Energomash has signed a deal to sell six more RD-180 rocket engines to United Launch Alliance in 2020. These six engines will allow for six additional flights of the Atlas V rocket, which flies national security payloads and science missions for the US government. Soon, the rocket will also fly Boeing’s crewed Starliner spacecraft into orbit. NASA has understandably made a big deal out of its commercial crew program through which it is paying Boeing and SpaceX to develop spacecraft that will allow astronauts to launch to the International Space Station from Florida. Since the 2011 retirement of the space shuttle, NASA has gotten its people into space aboard Russian rockets launching from Kazakhstan. Seizing upon this announcement, the Russian embassy in Washington, DC, evidently felt the need to troll United Launch Alliance, the US military, and NASA on Twitter, saying, “Russian rocket engines to continue launching America into space.” Why RD-180s? The Atlas V rocket has an exceptional track record and has launched many important spy and communications satellites—as well as science missions—for the US government since its debut in 2002. Although it is more expensive than its competitors in the medium-lift category of rockets, the Atlas V can boast of a proven track record with 100-percent mission success. But there is one flaw with this rocket—its first stage relies on a single Russian-made RD-180 engine to reach orbit. It made sense to choose this engine for the new Atlas… [Read full story]
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