![]() RD-180 test firing at Marshall Space Flight Center | |
Country of origin | ![]() |
---|---|
First flight | 24 May 2000 |
Designer | NPO Energomash |
Manufacturer | NPO Energomash |
Application | Booster |
Predecessor | RD-170 |
Status | Active |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
Mixture ratio | 2.72 (73% O 2, 27% RP-1) |
Cycle | Staged combustion |
Configuration | |
Chamber | 2 |
Nozzle ratio | 36.87 |
Performance | |
Thrust, vacuum | 4,150 kN (930,000 lbf) |
Thrust, sea-level | 3,830 kN (860,000 lbf) |
Throttle range | 47–100% |
Thrust-to-weight ratio | 78.44 |
Chamber pressure | 26.7 MPa (3,870 psi) |
Specific impulse, vacuum | 338 s (3.31 km/s) |
Specific impulse, sea-level | 311 s (3.05 km/s) |
Mass flow | 1,250 kg/s (165,000 lb/min) |
Burn time | 270 seconds |
Dimensions | |
Length | 3.56 m (11.7 ft) |
Diameter | 3.15 m (10.3 ft) |
Dry mass | 5,480 kg (12,080 lb) |
The RD-180 (Russian: Ракетный Двигатель-180 (РД-180), romanized: Raketnyy Dvigatel-180, lit. 'Rocket Engine-180') is a rocket engine that was designed and built in Russia. It features a dual combustion chamber, dual-nozzle design and is fueled by a RP-1/LOX mixture. The RD-180 is derived from the RD-170 line of rocket engines, which were used in the Soviet Energia launch vehicle. The engine was developed for use on the US Atlas III and Atlas V launch vehicles and first flew in 2000. It was never used on any other rocket. The engine has flown successfully on all six Atlas III flights and on 99 Atlas V flights, with just a single non-critical failure in March 2016.
Atlas V is being phased out due to the national security implications of reliance on the Russian-built engine,[1] which became a concern after the Russian annexation of Crimea. In 2021, Atlas manufacturer United Launch Alliance announced that it was retiring the Atlas V and that it had already taken delivery of the RD-180 engines for the remaining rockets.[2] As of June 2024[update], 16 launches remain. In 2022, Russian supplies and maintenance were discontinued as the result of trade sanctions imposed after the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.