The RD-180 engine is powering the first stage of Lockheed Martin's Atlas III and Atlas V rockets.

The RD-180 is a two thrust chamber derivative of the RD-170 engine which powers the Zenit first stage. The RD-180 was developed in Russia and is marketed jointly by NPO Energomash and Pratt & Whitney. Under the guidelines of the US Air Force EELV contract, Pratt & Whitney will produce RD-180's in West Palm Beach, Florida for the government Atlas V launches. 

It provides environmentally clean operation while featuring an integrated propulsion package with hydraulics for control valve actuation and thrust vector gimbaling; pneumatics for valve actuation and system purging; and a thrust frame to distribute loads.

The RD-180 was developed in a relatively short period of time and was scaled from the RD-170, which makes up 80% of the RD-180 parts. In addition to the Atlas III and Atlas V launch vehicles, the RD-180 has been proposed to power the Russian Angara launch vehicle.

Packing nearly one million pounds of thrust in a total propulsion system, the RD-180 delivers a 10 percent performance increase over current operational U.S. booster engines in 2003. This reusable kerosene (hydrocarbon) fueled engine has been flight proven on the Lockheed Martin Atlas III and V.

Description

• Staged-combustion cycle engine

• Liquid oxygen/kerosene propellants

• 2 thrust chambers (gimbal +/-8 degrees)

• 1 oxygen-rich preburner

• High-pressure turbopump assembly: 2-stage fuel pump,  single-stage oxygen pump, single turbine

• Hypergolic ignition

• Self-contained hydraulic system powered with kerosene from fuel pump

• Minimal interfaces with launch pad and vehicle

• 70% RD-170 parts

http://www.spaceandtech.com/spacedata/engines/rd180_sum.shtml

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Updated: Saturday 5th, July, 2008