Country of origin | Soviet Union |
---|---|
Date | 1960s |
Designer | Kuznetsov Design Bureau |
Application | 1st/2nd-stage engine |
Successor | NK-33 |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant | LOX / kerosene |
Cycle | Staged combustion |
Pumps | Turbopump |
Performance | |
Thrust, vacuum | 1,753 kN (394,000 lbf) |
Thrust, sea-level | 1,505 kN (338,000 lbf) |
Throttle range | 50–105% |
Thrust-to-weight ratio | 137 |
Chamber pressure | 14.50 MPa (2,103 psi) |
Specific impulse, vacuum | 331 seconds (3.25 km/s) |
Specific impulse, sea-level | 297 seconds (2.91 km/s) |
Dimensions | |
Length | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
Diameter | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Dry mass | 1,247 kg (2,749 lb) |
The NK-15 (GRAU index 11D51) was a rocket engine designed and built in the late 1960s by the Kuznetsov Design Bureau. The NK designation was derived from the initials of chief designer Nikolay Kuznetsov. The NK-15 was among the most powerful LOX/kerosene rocket engines when it was built, with a high specific impulse and low structural mass. It was intended for the ill-fated Soviet N-1 Moon rocket.