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.
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Pratt & Whitney |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | LOX / LH2 |
| Mixture ratio | 4.5 to 6.2 |
| Cycle | expander |
| Performance | |
| Thrust (SL) | 200-250 kN (50,000-65,000 lbf) |
| Thrust-to-weight ratio | 59 |
| 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
- "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.