Engine lifetime testing has taken place on a Russian-made NK-33 bringing Orbital’s Taurus II launch vehicle one step closer.
Originally designed for the Russian N1 lunar launch vehicle the NK-33 is the basis for Aerojet’s AJ26, which will be used on the Taurus II.
Three test were carried out on the engine in the last two weeks by Aerojet’s Russian partner SNTK at its facility in Samara, Russia.
The tests involved a “hot fire” demonstration, which, over the cause of the tests, lasted 600 seconds, twice the normal tolerance of the engine.
Aerojet president and CEO Scott Seymour said this was a significant milestone that demonstrated the engine’s robust design and suitability.
Taurus II’s next phase is ground testing the AJ26 at Nasa’s Stennus Space Center in Mississippi in two months time.
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By GlobalDataNine launches are already planned for Taurus II, beginning with its demonstration flight in 2011.
It is also likely to play a role in resupplying the International Space Station with Orbital involved in a $1.9bn eight-mission agreement with Nasa’s commercial resupply service programme until 2015.
Aerojet originally purchased 40 NK-33s in the mid 1990s and has been specifically modifying them for Taurus II.
