MOSCOW. April 16 (Interfax-AVN) - The Russian Aviation and Space Agency and the European Space Agency (ESA) have started experiments aimed at creating a reusable liquid-propellant rocket engine running on liquefied methane, Vladimir Sudakov, head of the information department in the Energomash research and production association, said on Wednesday.
"In the framework of the Volga program involving enterprises of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and ESA, we have started research and calculations aimed at developing a reusable engine for space missiles running on liquefied methane," Sudakov told Interfax-Military News Agency.
ESA is represented in the project by France's Snecma, Germany's Astrium, Belgium's Technospace Aero, Sweden's Volvo Aero, and several other companies, he said.
Russia is represented by Energomash, the Keldysh research center and Chemical Automatics Design Bureau.
According to Sudakov, the first stage of the program provides for research, calculations and experiments on so-called rocket engine mock-ups. Full-size engines are not involved on that stage, but the use of their prototypes makes it possible to model burning processes and work of separate components.
"Such mock-ups are being developed under contracts between enterprises of the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and ESA. They will be tested at firing benches in Russia, France and Germany. The tests are likely to start this year," Sudakov said.
The reusable engine running on methane will have a thrust of 400 to 500 tonnes.
A memorandum on joint development of a reusable rocket engine on liquefied gas was signed in March 2002.