US senators proposed to develop a rocket engine to replace the RD-180
In mid-March, US Secretary of Defense Charles Hagel instructed the specialists of his department to analyze the situation with the supply of Russian rocket engines and develop a plan of work to eliminate dependence on imported equipment. Apparently, the work on the instructions of the Minister continues to this day. Without waiting for the decision of military experts, the Senate expressed its opinion on the existing problem. The Senate Armed Services Committee has already identified ways out of the situation. Senators propose to develop their own rocket engine, which can replace the imported RD-180.
On the new proposal of senators became known 14 May. Member of the Armed Forces Committee and former astronaut Bill Nelson spoke about the proposed action plan, and also spoke about the first steps in the new project. According to the senator, at that time, subcommittees of the Armed Forces Committee were engaged in the preparation of relevant documentation. It was planned that the budget for the next 2015 fiscal year will provide funding for the initial stage of developing a promising rocket engine. All the necessary documentation on this proposal was supposed to be prepared by the beginning of the last decade of May and sent for consideration.
The proposal to develop a new rocket engine was approved by the Committee on the Armed Forces and will be considered by the Senate in the near future. In case of successful passage of all instances, the bill will lead to an adjustment of the budget for the next year. In accordance with the proposal, the 2015 million dollars will be provided for in the military budget for the 100 fiscal year, intended to begin the development of a promising rocket engine. In the future, funding for the project will continue. According to Senator B. Nelson, the creation of the engine will take about five years.
For obvious reasons, there is very little information about the new project of the American engine for launch vehicles. At the moment, it is known that its creation will cost the United States no less than a few hundred million dollars and will take about five years. According to its characteristics, the new engine will most likely be close to the Russian RD-180, which is intended to be replaced. There is no other information about the project, since its start is only scheduled for the next fiscal year.
An interesting fact is that the estimate given by Nelson for the appearance of a new engine roughly coincides with the opinion of analysts working with the Pentagon, who were quoted recently by the news agency Bloomberg. According to these experts, the creation of a promising rocket engine to replace the RD-180 will take about five years, but at the same time the cost of the project may reach $ 1.5 billion. Moreover, if you postpone engine development until a later date, the cost of the program may increase significantly.
If all the responsible structures of the United States decide to finally terminate the purchase of Russian rocket engines and develop their own project, then the American engine builders will face an extremely difficult task. For a full replacement of the Russian RD-180, a promising engine must have sufficiently high performance. In addition, its value must allow to compete with import development. In this regard, the actual duration of the work and the cost of the project may be much more called now.
Despite all the risks, the United States needs to find ways out of the existing situation with Russian rocket engines as quickly as possible. RD-180 engines manufactured by NPO Energomash are used on Atlas V launch vehicles of the United Launch Alliance (a joint venture of Boeing and Lockheed Martin). This rocket accounts for a significant proportion of US launches of various commercial spacecraft. In addition, Atlas V missiles are used to place military devices in orbit, which regularly raises complaints from the Russian side. However, collaboration continues. The current Russian-American contract involves the supply of rocket engines to 2018 year.
Until recently, such cooperation continued without any problems. However, in the light of recent events in the international arena, Russian rocket engines have become an instrument of big politics. With a difference of several days, several events occurred that radically changed the situation with the RD-180 engines. Russian Deputy Prime Minister D. Rogozin called for refusing to cooperate with the United States, explaining that with numerous launches of military spacecraft that used Russian engines.
No less interesting is the case in the United States. In late April, the US Federal Law Court banned the United Launch Alliance company from entering into new contracts with NPO Energomash. The trial began with a lawsuit from SpaceX, which demanded to check the legality of the actions of the military and the United Launch Alliance, which chose the supplier of engines without a tender. The US government, as well as the joint venture of the Boeing and Lockheed-Martin companies, filed a lawsuit to cancel the decision, because it could adversely affect the future of American space exploration.
It should be noted that this trial did not have any political prerequisites and is not related to the international situation. The fact is that SpaceX has its own launch vehicle project and wants to compete for Pentagon contracts. It is rather difficult to get them, since the United Launch Alliance company with the Atlas V launch vehicle equipped with Russian engines firmly occupied the niche of launches of military spacecraft.
Thus, the statements of Russian officials and the decision of the American court can put an end to the use of Atlas V launch vehicles equipped with RD-180 engines. The development of current events may not be so negative, but the existing risks should also not be forgotten. In this regard, for the United States, the issue of developing its own engine with characteristics at the level of an imported product becomes topical. If the proposal of the senators will be supported, then the first work on a new engine can start this fall. Thus, tentatively by the year 2019-20, the United States will receive a new rocket engine. However, another question remains unanswered: what should American firms cooperating with their Russian colleagues do before the emergence of a new engine, if the situation develops along the path of a complete cessation of procurement?
On the materials of the sites:
http://spacepolicyonline.com/
http://bloomberg.com/
http://ria.ru/
http://itar-tass.com/
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