Elon Musk recently addressed the quality of Russian engines, amid Russia’s decision to halt sales of rocket engines to the US.
In an interview with Mathias Döpfner, the CEO of Insider’s parent company, Axel Springer, which took place at Tesla’s factory in Fremont, California, Musk said the Russian-made RD-180 engine is “a great engine.”
He also acknowledged how US aerospace companies, including Boeing and Lockheed Martin, use Russian engines.
ULA, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, relies on the RD-180 engine to power its Atlas V rocket, per The Verge. The plan is for the engine of ULA’s new Vulcan rocket to be produced by Blue Origin, although delays have reportedly caused frustration.
Musk’s comments come after Russia stopped supplying rocket engines to the US in retaliation for sweeping sanctions over the country’s invasion of Ukraine.
Dmitry Rogozin, the head of the Russian space agency said previously: “In a situation like this, we can’t supply the United States with our world’s best rocket engines. Let them fly on something else, their broomsticks, I don’t know what.”
Döpfner asked Musk if the situation was dangerous for the US. In response, Musk said: “Boeing and Lockheed have strongly relied on the Russian RD-180 Engine. Which I should say, to be fair, is a great engine.”
He added: “They are hoping to move away from that in the future with engines from Blue Origin. There is also the Antares which uses the RD-181, I believe. They will not be able to fly as a result.”
Antares is a two-stage vehicle rocket manufactured by Northrop Grumman, which provides low-earth orbit capability for payloads weighing up to 8,000 kg. It is primarily used for NASA’s commercial resupply missions as part of the company’s contract with the space agency.
Musk’s remarks echo a concern by record-breaking astronaut Peggy Whitson in a recent interview with Insider about international cooperation within the space industry.
Whitson discussed the use of Russian engines by the US, saying it depends on Russian rocket engines more than she thinks it should.
Whitson said: “I’d like to see us stimulating more rocket engine development in the US. I think that’d be good for us.”
In regards to whether SpaceX faced risk or opportunity from halted sales of Russian engines, Musk said: “At SpaceX, we design and manufacture our own rocket engines. So we did not really own any Russian components at all.”
Credit: Yahoo News