RL60

The RL60 was a cryogenic rocket engine under development by Pratt & Whitney. The design is a high energy LH2/LOX expander cycle, capable of multiple restarts in space.

RL60
Country of originUnited States
ManufacturerPratt & Whitney
Liquid-fuel engine
PropellantLOX / LH2
Mixture ratio4.5 to 6.2
Cycleexpander
Performance
Thrust (SL)200-250 kN (50,000-65,000 lbf)
Thrust-to-weight ratio59
Isp (vac.)465 seconds (4.56 km/s)

In 2003, Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion had 90% of the work completed for the new RL60 replacement of the RL10 engine.[1] The RL60 is a cryogenic upper stage engine, designed to produce 60,000 pounds of thrust with a specific impulse of 465 seconds to meet the evolving needs of expendable launch requirements or human-rated missions.

The RL60 was to be built and tested in the US, with key components to be provided by four international industry strategic suppliers; Volvo Aero of Sweden (Regen cooled nozzle), Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) of Japan (Fuel Turbopump), Techspace Aero of Belgium (Fuel Inlet and LOX control valve) and Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (CADB) of Russia (LOX Turbopump).

References

  1. "Pratt & Whitney's RL60 Moves Closer to Completion" (Press release). Pratt & Whitney. April 22, 2003. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2012.
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