Aerospace and defence products maker ATK has revealed plans for a solid-fuel engine to power United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle, rivalling a liquid-based solution being developed by rocket maker Blue Origin.
In August, the US Air…
Aerospace and defence products maker ATK has revealed plans for a solid-fuel engine to power United Launch Alliance’s (ULA) Atlas V launch vehicle, rivalling a liquid-based solution being developed by rocket maker Blue Origin.
In August, the US Air Force posted a Request for Information (RFI) asking the domestic industry to propose replacements for the Russian-made RD-180 engine following political tensions between the Kremlin and the US.
The RD-180 engine, manufactured by Russia’s NPO Energomash, has been used successfully by ULA as the first stage engine to power the Atlas V for a number of years. ULA says it currently has enough engine inventory to last it for the next two years.
Last week, ULA and Blue Origin announced an agreement to jointly fund the development of a new liquid-based engine called the BE–4. The contract, however, is not exclusive. And this week ATK, which is in the process of merging with space systems developer Orbital Sciences, replied to the Air Force’s RFI and outlined its own solution.
ATK has proposed an as-yet-unnamed solid rocket motor, which it says would be optimal for high lift-off thrust allowing for larger payloads. Due to its fewer moving parts it is in an “inherently more reliable propulsion system” and requires less ground and launch infrastructure resulting in fewer launch scrubs, the company added.
ATK said it is confident its new solid rocket motors would be ready, including completed testing, and delivered to the customer within in three years once it has secured a contract. That would mean it could feasibly provide ULA with a replacement engine before the end of 2017.
The Blue Origin agreement allows for a four-year development process with full-scale testing in 2016 and first flight in 2019.
In a statement Blake Larson, president of ATK’s aerospace group, said: “By combining our extensive experience with new technologies, we have provided commercial customers with low-cost solutions that progressed from design to flight qualification within months.”
“Using a similar approach, ATK’s propulsion solution will provide the US Air Force with an RD-180 replacement rapidly and at a highly competitive cost.”
The push for greater space independence is not just a trend in the US. In August, Russia announced a series of measures to become less reliant on foreign companies in the wake of the increased sanctions imposed on it by the European Union and the United States.
Deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin reportedly told Russian space industry chief executives that the domestic industry needed to be able to develop those satellite and rocket components that are currently banned from importation by the sanctions.
