January 16, 2015

Russian rocket producer Energiya has signed a $1 billion contract with US Orbital Sciences Corporation for the delivery of 60 RD-181 engines, the company’s press service said Friday in a statement.

“Energia President Vladimir Solntsev and Orbital Sciences Corporation General Director David Thompson signed a direct contract worth around $1 billion on the delivery to the United States of engines produced by Energomash [a subsidiary of Energia],” the statement says.

According to the press release, the contract also includes a provision on a range of services including flight training, installation of the engine on the rocket and engine tests. The contract, that took Energia three years to prepare, envisages cooperation to last 15 to 25 years, according to Solntsev.

The first two engines, which are used on carrier rockets to deliver cargoes to the International Space Station, will be delivered in June 2015.

Orbital said in December that they looked at several other propulsion providers, but decided to use the RD-181 engines because the Russia-designed engine offered “the best combination of schedule availability, technical performance and cost parameters as compared to other possible options.”

This is the second large-scale deal Energomash has made with a US company. In the late 1990s, the company won a contract with United Launch Alliance to supply RD-180 engines for Atlas rockets. This contract, also valued at about $1 billion, is still functional.

In October, the Antares rocket, which was supposed to deliver over two tons of cargo to the ISS, exploded six seconds after launch from the Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia.

More from this category:
May 4, 2016

First ever booster with three satellites was successfully launched from Vostochny spaceport. All systems operated nominally, satellites were orbited and separated from the booster. Russian…

full story
June 3, 2021

The Poisk Mini-Research Module exit hatch is closed now, and Roscosmos cosmonauts Oleg Novitskiy and Pyotr Dubrov have completed the 48th planned spacewalk (VKD-48). During…

full story
April 17, 2020

According to the International Space Station flight schedule, the transfer hatches between the Zvezda module and Soyuz MS-15 crewed spacecraft were closed at 22:44 UTC…

full story
July 2, 2013

No comments. The investigation is under way. Video:

full story
September 8, 2014

New Russian Bion-series satellite is to be developed by 2019, – Institute for Biomedical Problems Director Deputy Vladimir Sychov reported. – With the help of…

full story
May 8, 2014

Following the results of examination trainings State Commission approved the main crew of new ISS mission, – State Commission representative reoirted on Thursday. The main…

full story
Zero Gravity flight in October 27 and December 15, 2022!
December 15, 2020

Are you looking for new impressions and unbelievable experience? Keen on extreme adventures? Or perhaps you have been dreaming of space and aviation from early…

full story
November 13, 2020

On Thursday ISS orbit was successfully adjusted with the help of Progress MS-14 cargo vehicle thrusters to ensure necessary conditions for the arrival of future…

full story