RS-68
A large hydrogen-oxygen rocket engine that powers the Delta IV rocket / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 (Rocket System 68) was a liquid-fuel rocket engine that used liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. It was the largest hydrogen-fueled rocket engine ever flown.[3]
Country of origin | United States |
---|---|
First flight | 2002 |
Manufacturer | Rocketdyne Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne Aerojet Rocketdyne |
Application | First stage engine for the Delta IV rocket |
Status | Retired |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant | Liquid oxygen / Liquid hydrogen |
Configuration | |
Nozzle ratio | 21.5 |
Performance | |
Thrust, sea-level | RS-68: 660,000 lbf (2,950 kN) RS-68A: 705,000 lbf (3,137 kN)[1] |
Thrust-to-weight ratio | RS-68: 45.3 RS-68A: 47.4 |
Chamber pressure | 1,488 psi (10.26 MPa) |
Specific impulse, vacuum | RS-68: 410 s (4.0 km/s) RS-68A: 411.9 s (4.039 km/s)[2] |
Dimensions | |
Length | 17.1 ft (5.20 m) |
Diameter | 8 ft 0 in (2.43 m) |
Dry weight | RS-68: 14,560 lb (6,600 kg) RS-68A: 14,870 lb (6,740 kg)[1] |
Used in | |
Delta IV |
Its development started in the 1990s with the goal of producing a simpler, less-costly, heavy-lift engine for the Delta IV launch system. Two versions of the engine have been produced: the original RS-68 and the improved RS-68A. A third version, the RS-68B, was planned for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's (NASA) Ares V rocket before cancellation of the rocket and the Constellation Program in 2010.