The Aerojet Rocketdyne AR1 is a thrust
RP-1
RP-1 (alternatively, Rocket Propellant-1 or Refined Petroleum-1) is a highly refined form of kerosene outwardly similar to jet fuel, used as rocket fuel. RP-1 provides a lower specific impulse than liquid hydrogen (LH2), but is cheaper, is st ...
/
LOX
Liquid oxygen—abbreviated LOx, LOX or Lox in the aerospace, submarine and gas industries—is the liquid form of molecular oxygen. It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an applica ...
oxidizer-rich
staged combustion cycle
The staged combustion cycle (sometimes known as topping cycle, preburner cycle, or closed cycle) is a power cycle of a bipropellant rocket engine. In the staged combustion cycle, propellant flows through multiple combustion chambers, and is thu ...
rocket engine
A rocket engine uses stored rocket propellants as the reaction mass for forming a high-speed propulsive jet of fluid, usually high-temperature gas. Rocket engines are reaction engines, producing thrust by ejecting mass rearward, in accordanc ...
project.
The engine was conceived in 2014, and received
US government
The federal government of the United States (U.S. federal government or U.S. government) is the national government of the United States, a federal republic located primarily in North America, composed of 50 states, a city within a feder ...
funding to build a prototype engine in 2016.
[ By 2018, the USAF had committed of government funding to develop the engine and build an initial engine prototype, while Aerojet will put of private capital into the project through the prototype build.][ , there have been no plans to take the AR1 to full production.
]
History
Aerojet Rocketdyne
Aerojet Rocketdyne is an American manufacturer of rocket, Hypersonic flight, hypersonic, and electric propulsive systems for space, defense, civil and commercial applications. Headquartered in Sacramento, California, the company is owned by Aeroj ...
proposed in 2014 to "lobby the government
A government is the system or group of people governing an organized community, generally a state.
In the case of its broad associative definition, government normally consists of legislature, executive, and judiciary. Government is a ...
to fund an all-new, U.S.-sourced rocket propulsion system." In June 2014, Aerojet initially projected it would cost under per pair of engines, not including the up to estimated development cost to be funded by the government. Later in 2014, the US Congress passed a law requiring the US Air Force
The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...
to "develop a new propulsion system by 2019 to replace the RD-180
The RD-180 ( rus, РД-180, Ракетный Двигатель-180, Raketnyy Dvigatel-180) is a rocket engine 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-18 ...
engine" that powers Atlas V
Atlas V is an expendable launch system and the fifth major version in the Atlas (rocket family), Atlas launch vehicle family. It was originally designed by Lockheed Martin, now being operated by United Launch Alliance (ULA), a joint venture be ...
used by United Launch Alliance
United Launch Alliance (ULA), legally United Launch Alliance, LLC, is an American spacecraft launch service provider that manufactures and operates a number of rocket vehicles that are capable of launching spacecraft into orbits around Earth, a ...
(ULA). Dynetics
Dynetics is an American applied science and information technology company headquartered in Huntsville, Alabama. Its primary customers are the United States Department of Defense (DoD), the United States Intelligence Community, and National Ae ...
is a key partner in development of the AR1 engine. Under a joint venture agreement, Dynetics is to supply elements of the engine's main propulsion system, the ignition system, and ground support equipment, along with analysis support to critical engine designs.
ULA announced in early February 2015 that they were considering undertaking domestic production of the Russian RD-180 engine at its Decatur, Alabama
Decatur (dɪˈkeɪtə(r)) is the largest city and county seat of Morgan County (with a portion also in Limestone County) in the U.S. state of Alabama. Nicknamed "The River City", it is located in northern Alabama on the banks of Wheeler Lake ...
rocket manufacturing facility, and made assurances that the US-manufactured engines would be used only for government civil (NASA) or commercial launches, and would not be used for US military launches. ULA CEO Tory Bruno
Tory Bruno (born November 3, 1961 as Salvatore Thomas Bruno) is an American aerospace engineer and executive. He has been the CEO of United Launch Alliance (ULA) since August 2014. Before ULA, he worked at Lockheed Martin, where he made the trans ...
indicated that ULA was also evaluating the AR1 option, along with the US manufacture of the RD-180 by ULA under license, as backup options to the primary option ULA was then pursuing for the Atlas V successor, subsequently named Vulcan
Vulcan may refer to:
Mythology
* Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
, with the Blue Origin
Blue Origin, LLC is an American private spaceflight, privately funded aerospace manufacturer and sub-orbital spaceflight services company headquartered in Kent, Washington. Founded in 2000 by Jeff Bezos, the founder and executive chairman of Am ...
BE-4
The Blue Engine 4 or BE-4 is an oxygen-rich liquefied-methane-fueled staged-combustion rocket engine under development by Blue Origin. The BE-4 is being developed with private and public funding. The engine has been designed to produce of thr ...
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
/LOX engine.
, ULA was targeting a maiden flight of Vulcan to be no earlier than 2019.[ For this engine competition, the AR1 engine had the advantage of matching the fuel configuration of the Atlas V launch vehicle. However, it was disadvantaged by being much earlier in the development process for a new rocket engine to replace the high performing RD-180 engine.
In February 2015, the USAF released the results of its analysis of the project to build a new US government-funded engine in five years, and said that the "2019 deadline was too aggressive given that it would likely take six to eight years to develop an alternate U.S.-built engine, plus another year or two to integrate the new engine with existing rockets."][ Aerojet Rocketdyne had stated a commitment to delivering the AR1 in 2019. In September 2015, AJR made an offer to buy ULA for . Shortly thereafter however, ULA and Blue Origin announced a joint agreement to expand production capabilities in order to manufacture the BE-4 rocket engine currently in development and test. ULA also reconfirmed that the decision on using the BE-4 vs. AJR AR1 for the new ]Vulcan rocket
Vulcan Centaur is a two-stage-to-orbit, heavy-lift launch vehicle that is under development by the United Launch Alliance (ULA) since 2014 with an initial flight expected in early 2023. It is principally designed to meet launch demands for the ...
would not be made until late 2016 at the earliest.
In early 2016, the U.S. Air Force awarded a US$115 million contract to Aerojet Rocketdyne for development of the AR1 engine to be completed in 2019. Contract options could increase government funding up to $536 million. Aerojet had received in funding for AR1 through June 2017. In April 2017, Aerojet announced that the AR1 would be built in a new factory planned to be built in Huntsville, Alabama
Huntsville is a city in Madison County, Limestone County, and Morgan County, Alabama, United States. It is the county seat of Madison County. Located in the Appalachian region of northern Alabama, Huntsville is the most populous city in t ...
. Aerojet completed the AR1's Critical Design Review
In the United States military integrated acquisition lifecycle the Technical section has multiple acquisition "Technical Reviews". Technical reviews and audits assist the acquisition and the number and types are tailored to the acquisition. Over ...
(CDR) in May 2017.
In February 2018, Aerojet began negotiating with the U.S. Air Force to reduce the company's financial contribution to the development of the AR1 engine to one-sixth of the costs (from a previously agreed one-third). Up to that date, AJR had "spent US$86.1 million on AR1 research and development, out of total costs incurred to date of US$236.6 million." By June 2018, the USAF had renegotiated the agreement with AJR and decreased the Air Force's contribution to $295 million, which is 5/6ths of the total cost. AJR is adding no additional private funds into the engine development effort after early 2018. The revised contract requires that AJR complete a prototype engine by the end of 2019.
In September 2018, ULA announced that the BE-4 engine would power the first stage of the Vulcan.
In October 2019, Rocketdyne announced a working agreement with Firefly Aerospace
Firefly Aerospace is an American private aerospace firm based in Austin, Texas, that develops launch vehicles for commercial launches to orbit. The company completed its $75 million Series A investment round in May 2021, which was led by DADA ...
for the AR1 engine to power Firefly's planned Beta launcher.
See also
* RD-191 by NPO Energomash
NPO Energomash “V. P. Glushko” is a major Russian rocket engine manufacturer. The company primarily develops and produces liquid propellant rocket engines. Energomash originates from the Soviet design bureau OKB-456, which was founded in 1 ...
*Raptor
Raptor or RAPTOR may refer to:
Animals
The word "raptor" refers to several groups of bird-like dinosaurs which primarily capture and subdue/kill prey with their talons.
* Raptor (bird) or bird of prey, a bird that primarily hunts and feeds on v ...
by SpaceX
References
{{Reflist
External links
Aerojet Rocketdyne AR1 page
Rocket engines using kerosene propellant
Rocket engines using the staged combustion cycle