![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/13/RS-88_test_firing.jpg/640px-RS-88_test_firing.jpg&w=640&q=50)
RS-88
US ethanol-oxygen rocket engine / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The RS-88 (Rocket System-88) is a liquid-fueled rocket engine designed and built in the United States by Rocketdyne (later Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and then Aerojet Rocketdyne). Originally developed for NASA's Bantam System Technology program in 1997, the RS-88 burned ethanol fuel with liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer. It offered 220 kN (49,000 lbf) of thrust at sea level.
Quick Facts Country of origin, Designer ...
![]() An RS-88 is fired at Stennis Space Center | |
Country of origin | ![]() |
---|---|
Designer | Rocketdyne |
Manufacturer |
|
Status | Active |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant | LOX / Ethanol MMH / NTO (LAE variant) |
Cycle | Gas-generator |
Performance | |
Thrust, sea-level | 220 kN (49,000 lbf) (ethanol) 176.6 kN (39,700 lbf) (hypergolic) |
Used in | |
CST-100 Starliner |
Close
A hypergolic derivative of the RS-88, fueled by monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, was chosen as the launch escape motor for the Boeing Starliner capsule.