NK-15
The NK-15 (GRAU index 11D51) is a rocket engine designed and built in the late 1960s by the Kuznetsov Design Bureau. The NK designation is derived from the initials of chief designer Nikolay Kuznetsov. The NK-15 was among the most powerful LOX/RP-1 rocket engines when it was built, with a high specific impulse and low structural mass. It was intended for the ill-fated Soviet N-1 Moon rocket.
Country of origin | Soviet Union |
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Date | 1960s |
Designer | Kuznetsov Design Bureau |
Application | 1st/2nd-stage engine |
Successor | NK-33 |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant | LOX / kerosene |
Cycle | Staged combustion |
Pumps | Turbopump |
Performance | |
Thrust (vac.) | 1,753 kN (394,000 lbf) |
Thrust (SL) | 1,505 kN (338,000 lbf) |
Throttle range | 50–105% |
Thrust-to-weight ratio | 137 |
Chamber pressure | 14.50 MPa (2,103 psi) |
Isp (vac.) | 331 seconds (3.25 km/s) |
Isp (SL) | 297 seconds (2.91 km/s) |
Dimensions | |
Length | 3.7 m (12 ft) |
Diameter | 2 m (6 ft 7 in) |
Dry weight | 1,247 kg (2,749 lb) |
History
The engine equipped the N1 rocket which had four consecutive launch failures all due to this engine. Its successor the NK-33 allowing multiple fire resistance tests and increased life service was to be used on the N1F, a new version of the N1, but the program was canceled.
Versions
- NK-15V (GRAU index 11D52): Modified NK-15 optimized for vacuum operation, used on the N1 second stage.
See also
External links
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