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.
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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.
