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The new look of the Russian super-heavy rocket designed for flights to the Moon has been determined, RIA Novosti reports, citing a source in the rocket and space industry.
According to the interlocutor of the agency, the rocket will receive the RD-182 and RD-0169 engines. The source added that the carrier “is planned to be created according to a batch scheme: six side blocks around the central one – all with the RD-182 engine and the upper stage based on the RD-0169”.
It is noted that the RD-0169 engine has a thrust of 100 tons, and the RD-182 – 250 tons. Both powertrains use methane and oxygen as a fuel pair and are designed for multiple starts, the report said.
In February, Dmitry Baranov, general director of the Progress Rocket and Space Center (RSC), announced the suspension of the creation of the Yenisei super-heavy rocket and the delay in the development of the Amur-LNG medium reusable rocket. The head noted that “it is possible to correct the technical appearance of the [super-heavy] rocket.” According to Baranov, the preliminary design of the medium carrier, which should operate on oxygen-methane fuel steam, has been completed by about 95 percent.
