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 | Production ended |
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 |
The Aerojet Rocketdyne RS-68 (Rocket System 68) is a liquid-fuel rocket engine that uses liquid hydrogen (LH2) and liquid oxygen (LOX) as propellants in a gas-generator power cycle. It is the largest hydrogen-fueled rocket engine ever flown. [3]
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.
One of the main goals of the RS-68 program was to produce a simple engine that would be cost-effective when used for a single launch. To achieve this, the RS-68 has 80% fewer parts than the multi-launch RS-25 Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME). [4] The adverse consequences of this simplicity were a significantly lower thrust-to-weight ratio and a 10% lower specific impulse compared to the SSME. The benefit of this simplicity is the RS-68's reduced construction cost. [4]
The RS-68 was developed at Rocketdyne Propulsion and Power, located in Canoga Park, Los Angeles, California, where the SSME was manufactured. It was designed to power the Delta IV Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV). The initial development engines were assembled at the nearby Santa Susana Field Laboratory where the Saturn V's Rocketdyne F-1 engines were developed and tested for the Apollo missions to the Moon. The initial testing of the RS-68 occurred at the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL), Edwards Air Force Base, California, and later at NASA's Stennis Space Center. [5] [6] The RS-68 was certified in December 2001 for use on Delta IV rockets. [7]
An RS-68 is part of each Delta IV Common Booster Core. The largest of the launch vehicles, the Delta IV Heavy, uses three CBCs mounted together. [8]
At its maximum 102% thrust, the engine produces 758,000 pounds-force (3,370 kN ) in a vacuum and 663,000 pounds-force (2,950 kN) at sea level. The engine's mass is 14,560 pounds (6,600 kg). With this thrust, the engine has a thrust-to-weight ratio of 51.2 and a specific impulse of 410 seconds (4.0 km/s) in a vacuum and 365 seconds (3.58 km/s) at sea level. [9] The RS-68 is gimbaled hydraulically and is capable of throttling between 58% and 102% thrust. [10]
The RS-68A is an updated version of the RS-68, with increased specific impulse and thrust (to over 700,000 pounds-force (3,100 kN) at sea level). [11] The first launch on June 29, 2012, from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station used three RS-68A engines mounted in a Delta IV Heavy rocket. [12]
In late 2022, the last RS-68A was built for the final Delta IV core stage.[ citation needed ]
In 2006, NASA announced an intention to use five RS-68 engines instead of SSMEs on the planned Ares V. NASA chose the RS-68 because of its lower cost, about $20 million per engine including the cost of NASA's upgrades. The upgrades included a different ablative nozzle to accommodate a longer burn, a shorter start sequence, hardware changes to limit free hydrogen at ignition, and a reduction in the amount of helium used during countdown and flight. Thrust and specific impulse increases would occur under a separate upgrade program for the Delta IV rocket. [13] Later, the Ares V was changed to use six RS-68 engines, designated the RS-68B. [14] Ares V was dropped as part of the cancellation of the Constellation program in 2010. [15] NASA's current successor heavy-lift vehicle, the Space Launch System, uses four RS-25 engines instead. [16]
In 2008, it was reported that the RS-68 needed over 200 changes to receive a human-rating certification. [17] NASA has stated that those changes include health monitoring, removal of the fuel-rich environment at liftoff, and improving the robustness of its subsystems. [18] [19]
Rocketdyne was an American rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, in the western San Fernando Valley of suburban Los Angeles, in southern California.
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