Title :
RD-180 engine: An established record of performance and reliability on Atlas launch vehicles
Author_Institution :
United Launch Alliance, Littleton, CO, USA
Abstract :
Expendable Launch vehicles remain the primary means of delivering payloads to orbit. 1 2 High reliability in these systems is vital to the safe delivery of the valuable payloads they carry. A considerable number of past launch vehicle failures can be attributed to propulsion subsystems. These subsystems contain combustion, control thrust levels, maintain vehicle stability, and withstand the dynamic loads associated with these processes. The high levels of complexity associated with propulsion subsystems often provide opportunities for failure.
Keywords :
aerospace propulsion; mechanical stability; rocket engines; space vehicles; Atlas launch vehicles; RD-180 engine; Vandenberg air force base; control thrust levels; dynamic loads; kerosene engine; liquid propellant rocket engines; performance record; propulsion subsystems; reliability record; vehicle stability; Combustion; Engines; Licenses; Propulsion; Reliability; Testing; Vehicles;
Conference_Titel :
Aerospace Conference, 2011 IEEE
Conference_Location :
Big Sky, MT
Print_ISBN :
978-1-4244-7350-2
DOI :
10.1109/AERO.2011.5747485
