KHIMKI, Moscow Region. Feb 8 (Interfax-AVN) - The United States has scheduled the launch of the Atlas III heavy booster rocket powered by the Russian RD-180 liquid propellant engine for late February, Vladimir Sudakov, head of the information department in the Energomash research and production association, said on Friday.
"The date is not final, as rescheduling of launch dates is common practice for U.S. booster rockets," Sudakov told Interfax- Military News Agency.
According to him, the long-term launch program originally scheduled the launch for November 2001, but the communication satellite to be orbited by the rocket was not ready, and the date was postponed to December 2001, then to January 2002 and now to February 2002.
The United States has launched an Atlas III rocket powered by the RD-180 once before. The rocket lifted off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on May 25, 2000, to orbit the Eutelsat-W4 satellite. The second launch will be commercial, too.
The RD-180 oxygen-kerosene engine was designed and is being produced by the Energomash association led by Boris Katorgin. The engine's thrust is about 200t. It surpasses all foreign analogues as far as reliability, energy, weight and size are concerned.
Energomash will ship about 20 RD-180 engines to the United States in next few years. Each engine costs about USD10m. The RD- AMROSS joint venture set up by Energomash and the U.S.-based Pratt & Whitney company is mediating the deal.
RD-180 is expected to be installed in the new Atlas V booster rocket this year. The rocket is undergoing ground tests at present.