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RL60

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RL60
Country of originUnited States
ManufacturerPratt & Whitney
Liquid-fuel engine
PropellantLOX / LH2
Mixture ratio4.5 to 6.2
Cycleexpander
Performance
Thrust, sea-level200-250 kN (50,000-65,000 lbf)
Thrust-to-weight ratio59
Specific impulse, vacuum465 seconds (4.56 km/s)

The RL60 was a cryogenic rocket engine under development by Pratt & Whitney. The design is a high energy LH2/LOX expander cycle, capable of multiple restarts in space.[citation needed]

In 2003, Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion had 90% of the work completed for the new RL60 replacement of the RL10 engine.[1] The RL60 is a cryogenic upper stage engine, designed to produce 60,000 pounds of thrust with a specific impulse of 465 seconds to meet the evolving needs of expendable launch requirements or human-rated missions.

The RL60 was to be built and tested in the US, with key components to be provided by four international industry strategic suppliers; Volvo Aero of Sweden (Regen cooled nozzle), Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries (IHI) of Japan (Fuel Turbopump), Techspace Aero of Belgium (Fuel Inlet and LOX control valve) and Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (CADB) of Russia (LOX Turbopump).[citation needed]

References

  1. ^ "Pratt & Whitney's RL60 Moves Closer to Completion" (Press release). Pratt & Whitney. April 22, 2003. Archived from the original on March 23, 2012. Retrieved June 1, 2012.