RD-253 [SEP] country of origin
RD-253
The RD-253 ( , "Rocket Engine 253") and its later variants, the RD-275 and RD-275M, are liquid-propellant rocket engines developed in the Soviet Union by Energomash. The engines are used on the first stage of the Proton launch vehicle and use an oxidizer-rich staged combustion cycle to power the turbopumps. The engine burns UDMH/NO, which are highly toxic but hypergolic and storable at room temperature, simplifying the design.
History.
Development of the RD-253 started in 1961. Preliminary
project partially funded by the United States Air Force as a potential replacement for the RD-180 Russian engine.
- BE-4—Blue Origin LCH4/LOX engine—using the oxygen-rich staged combustion (ORSC) cycle—planned to be used on the ULA Vulcan launch vehicle, which will replace the Atlas V and Delta IV, first flight test in 2021 and also on Blue Origin's New Glenn launch vehicle, with first flight test no earlier than 2020.
- RD-253—Soviet engine developed in the 1960s and used on the Proton launch