New lease of life for NK-33

The MAKS 2013 exposition of Russia’s United Engine Corporation (UAC) features the NK-33 liquid-propellant rocket engine, mirroring a recently resumed interest in this Soviet-era design. A US Antares launch vehicle powered by such engines was successfully launched on April 21. That flight demonstrated the NK-33’s high performance and reliability, while simultaneously highlighting the pressing need for more of these powerplants, whose series production terminated almost 40 years ago.

Antares developer Orbital Sciences Corporation (OSC) has access to a number of remaining NK-33s available from their current owner Aerojet General (this is why these engines got re-designated AJ-26). The stock, however, will only last for 16 to 17 more launches. In addition, the NK-33 is requited for Russia’s Soyuz 2.1v light rocket.

The possibility of resuming NK-33 production has been mulled since the mid-1990s; all calculations indicate that it would be easier and cheaper to relaunch the process in Russia rather than starting it from scratch in the USA. NK-33 developer Kuznetsov, incorporated into UEC in 2009, was instructed last year to launch production of the NK-33A derivative by 2015. The Samara-based company has already reanimated about 50% of the technology and expertise required for relaunching the production process.