The manufacturer of jet engines, the American company Aerojet Rocketdyne announced about carrying out a critical analysis of the project of a new rocket engine AR1, which is being developed by the order of the company United Launch Alliance (ULA), one of the main suppliers of military industry of the USA. This means that the company will continue to develop the engine and prepare for full-scale testing in 2017. However, despite the development of AR1 for the rockets ULA, ULA itself has yet to officially say whether it it actually use.
Recall that AR1 is developed as a replacement for Russian rocket engines RD-180, which ULA uses in its core launch vehicle “Atlas 5”. ULA recently, the company was obliged to abandon the RD-180 engines, the us Congress banned Military-air forces of the United States to use Russian engines for launching space satellites. ULA could lose military contracts are the main source of income, — if in the near future will not find replacement proscribed missile accelerators.
In Aerojet, in turn, believe that found a way for ULA. Rocket “Atlas 5” to use the American engines AR1 Assembly. The company indicates that engines can be easily adapted for use with this rocket and they will be ready by 2019, that is, to the time the ULA will end the permission to use the RD-180 for launches of military orders. But ULA doesn’t seem to want to remake “Atlas 5” under the new engines and instead rather interested in building a completely new missile. Currently the company is working with Blue Origin on a new engine BE-4 for the new rocket, dubbed Vulcan.
Rocket Vulcan, in turn, will be ready to launch no earlier 2022-2023 year, so ULA need to replace the engines in the “Atlas 5” if she wants to use military contracts to launch satellites for the U.S. air force after 2019. It’s possible that the USAF will somehow have an impact on ULA. At a recent meeting, the U.S. Congress has allowed to allocate state support to subsidize the development of alternatives to the Russian RD-180 engines. In the U.S. air force has not yet decided how to dispose of, however, undertake a critical analysis of the project engines AR1 may eventually show the attractiveness of investing in this project. And if the U.S. air force will invest in the development of the project AR1, then ULA is nothing left for it but to agree to the replacement of engines in the launch vehicle “Atlas 5” if she wants to retain all contracts.
It should be noted that recently a review was sent the new bill that allows you to lift the ban on use of Russian rocket engines. If the bill is passed, ULA, most likely, do not have to worry about having to replace the motors on a rocket “Atlas 5”.