The Americans have a replacement for the Russian engine RD-180

July 4 2020 12

The United Launch Alliance, an American company, received the first BE-4 rocket engine from Blue Origin to replace the Russian RD-180 rocket engine. This was announced by ULA in its Twitter account. The novelty runs on a pair of methane + liquid oxygen.

At the same time, the American Blue Origin told the Space News portal that the manufactured engine will be used during testing together with a launch vehicle, without specifying which one. It was emphasized that the mentioned power plant is not serial. But the company promised that a second similar engine will be delivered by ULA by the end of July 2020.

We remind you that Russian RD-180 produced by JSC NPO Energomash named after Academician V.P. Glushko "(part of the state corporation" Roskosmos "), equipped with American launch vehicles of the Atlas family (currently AtlasV). These launch vehicles are used by Americans for critical launches into space in the interests of US national security. Since 1999, 116 units of the RD-180 were delivered from Russia to the United States.

However, to replace the Atlas launch vehicles, the Americans are already creating a new Vulcan launch vehicle, in which, presumably, the above BE-4s will be installed in the first stage.

Note that according to amendments to US law, departments and private companies in this country will have to abandon the use of the RD-180. At the same time, as the Americans themselves indicate, they will not be able to abandon Russian rocket engines until at least 2024.

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123

+3

4 July 2020 19: 59

I see their import substitution is also slipping.
1. Vladimir Tuzakov
  
  +1
  
  4 July 2020 21: 10
  
  The defeat of the USSR and the United States played evil, much did not develop due to the lack of competition. Competition has appeared. We have to make up. Here are just ours, under the leadership of "successful managers-journalists Rogozin and others like him" failed decades of development and the main occupation was embezzlement of money with many accidents and unsuccessful starts (perhaps to hide, in fact, imperfections and dummies in mega-theft) ...
  1. 123
    
    +1
    
    4 July 2020 21: 39
    
    It's just that ours, under the leadership of "successful managers-journalists Rogozin and others like him," failed decades of development and the main occupation was embezzlement of money with many accidents and unsuccessful launches (perhaps to hide in fact imperfections and blanks in mega-theft) ...
    
    Yes, quit. Do you want to say that they had years of rapid development without theft and, of course, without any failures and accidents there?
    People are people everywhere. Tired of these tales, that everywhere, all honest and decent people spend days and days working for the good of the motherland, and only we have a mess, devastation and fraud.
    Show me a country without theft and corruption?
    This is just an example:
    
    In just one year, the Pentagon introduced $ 35 trillion in adjustments to its accounting documents, which exceeds the size of the US economy as a whole. This shows that the Ministry of Defense is still unable to put things in order in reporting.
    
    https://inosmi.ru/economic/20200129/246732109.html
    1. Vladimir Tuzakov
      
      +2
      
      4 July 2020 21: 46
      
      Corruption is an order of magnitude lower in England, Germany, and partly France .. The United States print candy wrappers - money, they are not sorry to print, or rather, add zeros to the computer, let them steal, get rich, at the same time and create something ...
      1. 123
        
        +2
        
        4 July 2020 21: 50
        
        Corruption is much lower in England, Germany, and partly France ..
        
        How do you know this? Surely in some rating "perception of corruption" read from the American office.
        
        The United States is printing candy wrappers-money, they are not sorry to print, or rather add zeros on a computer, let them steal, get rich, at the same time and create something ...
        
        I don’t really care that they steal from them, you just don’t need to say that only we have gotten together, and there only angels rule.
    2. Syoma_67
      
      0
      
      5 July 2020 11: 57
      
      Yes, quit. Want to say
      
      - are you reassuring yourself? The scale of theft and corruption, as in Russia, is definitely not there.
      1. 123
        
        +2
        
        5 July 2020 14: 41
        
        - are you reassuring yourself? The scale of theft and corruption, as in Russia, is definitely not there.
        
        Let me ask you, what is your confidence in the "unprecedented" scale of corruption and theft in Russia?
        
        Corruption is everywhere. Are they fighting it in Russia? Yes, I think so.
        
        This news is 2 days old:
        
        Police detained Deputy Minister Marina Lukashevich, who is suspected of embezzlement of more than 40 million rubles.
        
        Is there any other similar news? Surname Ulyukaev not forgotten? There are still similar messages:
        
        In the capital, the deputy head of the Moscow regional customs was detained. He is suspected of receiving a bribe.
        
        In the Rostov region, the deputy governor for housing and communal services Sergey Sidash was detained. According to TASS, searches have already been conducted at his home and at work.
        
        On suspicion of receiving a bribe on Wednesday, the deputy chairman of the board of the Pension Fund of Russia (PFR) Alexei Ivanov was detained
        
        Deputy Prosecutor of Volgograd detained by officers of the UFSB region and the Investigative Committee on suspicion of receiving a bribe in a significant amount
        
        Deputy Chief of the General Staff detained in the theft case
  2. 123
    
    +1
    
    5 July 2020 03: 38
    
    decades of development have failed and the main occupation has been stealing money with many accidents and unsuccessful launches (perhaps to conceal, in fact, imperfections and dummies in the mega-theft).
    
    By the way, about unsuccessful launches. As you can see, they are not only with Roskosmos.
Cyril

-1

4 July 2020 20: 20

when tested with a booster

Correctly will be "with a booster".
monman

-4

4 July 2020 23: 21

For the curious:

BE-4 uses liquid oxygen and liquid natural gas and produces 75 horsepower. The engine was developed by Blue Origin with financial support from ULA.
Thrust (sea level): 2400 kN at full power;
Chamber pressure: 13 kPa, significantly lower than 400 kPa of the RD-26 engine, which ULA wants to replace;
Designed for reuse;
Estimated service life: 100 take-offs and landings;
The ability to restart during flight by starting the turbine at a pressure head;
The ability to deep throttle up to 65% of power or less.

In September 2018, the ULA announced the selection of the BE-4 as its primary Vulcan engine. The first engine was supposed to be launched in 2020, but Blue Origin got a delay.

ULA has set a 2021 target for its first Vulcan Centaur mission and needs two production-grade engines to build a launch vehicle for this mission. A Vulcan Centaur flight in 2021 is a must for ULA, as it tries to win one of two contracts that the U.S. Space Forces will conclude this summer to launch dozens of national security satellites between 2022 and 2027.
According to sources, the ULA is growing frustrated as the company's future is linked to the success of the Vulcan Centaur and there is no room for error when it comes to the main engine.

ULA CEO Tori Bruno told SpaceNews in February that most of Vulcan's main components, with the exception of the main engine, are in production. He called the engine "the hardest part" and said that Blue Origin is doing everything possible to stay on schedule and overcome the "big technical problems last year."
monman

-3

5 July 2020 03: 19

News for Roskosmos - not everything is lost, chef !!!

The British government and Indian mobile operator Bharti Global have announced a tender for the acquisition of OneWeb, a mega-constellation broadband startup that filed for Bankruptcy Protection Part 11, OneWeb said July 3.
OneWeb said it received new funding of $ 1 billion - $ 500 million from the UK government to "supply the first sovereign space in the UK" and another $ 500 million from the Indian mobile operator Bharti Global - to recapitalize its constellation efforts.

If the new owners retain the launch contract with Roscosmos, then Russia will earn something (maybe !?)

https://spacenews.com/british-government-and-bharti-global-buy-oneweb-plan-1-billion-investment-to-revive-company/
Arkharov

-1

5 July 2020 14: 51

And what, was not there before? It was simply beneficial, as a temporary replacement, to buy these engines at this price, and that's all, nothing personal. We stepped over unnecessary actions with small losses. We spent on the development of a new generation, and not on the development and temporary production of engines using 40-year technology.