RD-171MV (rocket engine)

2023: Production of the first flight engine sample

In June 2023 Research and Production Association "Energomash" , the Roskosmos production of a liquid-propellant rocket engine RD-171MV for the first flight tests of the new Soyuz-5 launch vehicle was completed (part of "").

According to the press service of Roscosmos, in 2023 it is planned to complete the assembly of the RD-171MV for the second Soyuz-5 flight rocket and produce an engine for the third flight rocket. Engine thrust should exceed 800 tons, making it the most powerful on Earth. For comparison, the thrust of the Raptor V3, created for the Starship system rocket, is 269 tons.

Rocket engine RD-171MV

It is noted that as of June 2023, design (including electronic) and technical documentation were issued and approved, production for the manufacture of RD-171MV was prepared, autonomous testing of units, parts and assembly units of the engine was carried out, the model for dynamic tests and the engine for cold and fire bench tests of the first stage of the Soyuz-5 rocket were produced and delivered to the Rocket and Space Center (part of Roscosmos).

Also, NPO Energomash manufactured, successfully passed all tests and two RD-171MV were defected, designed to conduct finishing and final finishing tests. To date, more than two dozen fire tests of the RD-171MV engine have been successfully carried out.

The next stages of the program will be interdepartmental RD-171MV tests and serial supply of engines for Soyuz-5 missiles. Roscosmos adds that the promising two-stage medium-class launch vehicle Soyuz-5 is being developed in order to ensure the launch of automatic spacecraft into various near-Earth orbits, including using booster units.^[1]

2022: Successful trials

On August 25, 2022, Roskosmos"" announced the successful completion of fire tests developed by the Scientific and Production Association (NPO) Energomash"" finishing rocket engine, RD-171MV known as the "tsar engine."

The finishing rocket engine has the final design, tests confirm the compliance of the engine characteristics with the requirements of the terms of reference. The most powerful liquid rocket engine in the world (its thrust is 800 tons) worked for a total of 1461 seconds in nine fire tests without removing it from the test bench, the state corporation said in a statement.

Russia has successfully tested the most powerful liquid-propellant rocket engine in the world RD-171MV

The RD-171MV engine itself is an upgraded version of the Russian RD-171M engine, which was developed back in 2001. The Soyuz-5 middle-class Raketa carrier was named Irtysh, its developer is RSC Energia. The launch of the rockets will be carried out from the Baikonur cosmodrome as part of a joint project with Kazakhstan.

After the start of a special operation in Ukraine and the imposition of sanctions, Russia refused to supply the United States with its rocket engines used in the American Atlas-5 and Antares missiles. Dmitry Rogozin, who served as head of Roscosmos at that time, said that Russia planned to supply the United States with 12 RD-181 engines. In addition, negotiations were underway to supply RD-181M with improved technical characteristics, the head of the state corporation added.

It is symbolic that exactly 42 years ago, on August 25, 1980, the first fire tests of the most powerful engine in Soviet history - RD-170, Roscosmos notes. This engine, after several iterations and modifications, eventually turned into a RD-171MV.

Earlier, Roscosmos reported that flight tests could RD-171MV begin in 2022. The state corporation itself calls the new engine "the most powerful in the world."^[2]

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