Space News by Tory Bruno — October 10, 2017
Let’s set the record straight on Russian rocket engines and next-generation American launch vehicles.
There’s been a lot of discussion on the timeline for replacing the RD-180, the Russian-made engine for the Atlas 5. A recent report in The Wall Street Journal, “Pentagon Faces Delays in Shift Away From Russian Rocket Engines,” suggested that United Launch Alliance (ULA) – and therefore the United States Air Force – will be “forced to rely on the Russian-made RD-180 through 2024 or 2028.” Those dates are inaccurate.
ULA is confident its engine and rocket development efforts will meet the 2022 deadline imposed by the Congress for ending purchases of the RD-180. We’re making great progress on Vulcan – the all-American replacement for the venerable Atlas rocket – and have two of the country’s best engine companies working on two options for its engine.
We’re making enhancements to Vulcan’s Centaur upper stage to add crucial heavy lift capability for the Air Force. That will add about six months to the program’s original schedule, but the resulting delay is months, not years, and it’s a purpose-driven change to deliver better performance, not a schedule slip.
More:
http://spacenews.com/op-ed-building-on-a-successful-record-in-space-to-meet-the-challenges-ahead/
