The RD-170 engine is a 4 chamber liquid kerosene/liquid oxygen rocket engine. It was designed during the 1970’s to power the strap-on boosters of the Energia launch vehicle.
The RD-170 was used for the Energia Launch Vehicle and its cancelled derivative, the Energia-M. The RD-170 is currently in use in the first stage of the Zenit Rocket with is used by Sea Launch.
NPO Energomash markets this engine now.
Specifications:
Mass: 8755 kg
Length: 3.56m
Diameter: 4.0m
Propellants: Kerosene/Liquid Oxygen.
ISP: 336 Vacuum
Thrust: 7903 KN.
Why build the RD-170?
Korolev’s OKB-1 were the developers of the N-1 Moon Rocket of the 1960’s. Korolev died in 1966 and Mishin was his successor. Unfortunately, the N-1 had 4 failures and in 1974, Glushko became his successor. Glushko decided to build his own kerosene/lox engines and did not want to use the N-1’s Nk-33 engines.
Instead Glushko developed the RD-170. This engine is more powerful than the F-1 main engine used in the Saturn 5 Stage 1.
Did You Know?
RD-180 is a 2 chamber version of the RD-170 which is used on the Atlas-V rocket.
Books:
Energiya-Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle by Bart Hendrickx
from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon,ca. Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.ca, Walmart.com
Russia in Space: has a wide selection of books.
RD-170 Links:
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