Liquid Rocket Engines (LREs)
Liquid Rocket Engines (LREs)
Liquid Rocket Engines are reliability, efficiency, ecological safety and reusability.
Future LRE
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Specialists of Keldysh Research Center justified and experimentally demonstrated for the first time ever a high efficiency of LRE, which operates on generator gas staged combustion cycle (closed cycle) and it has no analogues in the world.
Promising directions
- Development of new propellant components for LRE
- Development of LRE large-sized elements and components made of composite materials
- Research on LRE system stability as part of a rocket
- Research on heat exchange in LRE
- Laser ignition
- Thrust vector control
- Development of proposals for promising reusable propulsion of new generation of launch rockets
- Ecology and security issues
- Introduction of advanced methods of mathematical modeling based on complex multidisciplinary models of engine and its units, as well as the development of digital twins of products
More about digital technologies
- Physical modeling of some LRE units as well as processes occurring in them with the use of advanced measurement and control systems on a test bench including firing tests with the use of nominal propellant and propellant for testing model systems
Keldysh Research Center was a pioneer in liquid rocket engine manufacturing. Several generations of highly reliable LREs were created in the premises of Keldysh Research Center.
Electric Propulsion (EP)
Electric Propulsion Thrusters
Keldysh Research Center has many years of experience in the development of electric propulsion thrusters that are successfully used as a part of new spacecraft. The main directions of our research are focused on two types of thrusters. They are Hall Thrusters and Ion Thrusters. When developing them, Keldysh Research Center applies its own mathematical models and calculations as well as its own plasma diagnostic tools. The testing facilities of the enterprise allows conducting a full cycle of experimental testing including functioning tests, impact of mechanical, climatic and thermo-cycle loads, measurements of the thrust vector and jet parameters in the thruster.
Keldysh Research Center has been developing flow rate control units in order to distribute and to adjust a working fluid flow rate in the manifold of electric propulsion thrusters. The fastidious work on miniaturization done in recent years made it possible to get unique weight and size characteristics having no analogues in the world.
Hall Thrusters
Keldysh Research Center developed first in the world flight prototypes of Hall thrusters with a high specific impulse of thrust, more than 2000 sec. The Hall thrusters family with a power of 200 W – 10,5 kW and a thrust of 10-580 mN was developed.
КМ-45

Development stage: Flight Model
Power |
350 W (200-450 W) |
Thrust |
18 mN (10-82 mN) |
Specific impulse |
1450 sec (1250-1500 sec) |
Mass |
2 kg |
Overall dimensions |
160x140x45 mm |
Design service life |
4000 h |
KМ-60

Development stage: Flight Model
Power |
930 W |
Thrust |
42 mN |
Specific impulse |
1850 sec |
Mass |
3,1 kg |
Overall dimensions |
162 x 162 x 110 mm |
Design service life |
3000 h |
Flow Rate Control Unit

Technical Characteristics
Input pressure |
1,75±0,15 bar |
Mass |
0,325 kg |
Overall dimensions |
102 x 87 x 61 mm |
Gaseous interfaces |
1 input, 1 anode output, 2 cathode outputs |
KM-88

Development stage: Flight Model
Power |
1,55 kW |
Thrust |
75 mN |
Specific impulse |
2100 sec |
Mass |
5,4 kg |
Overall dimensions |
225 x 215 x 115 mm |
Design service life |
4000 h |
KM-75

Development stage: preparation for flight tests
Power |
2,3 kW |
Thrust |
95 mN |
Specific impulse |
2680 sec |
Mass |
5,2± 0,1 kg |
Overall dimensions |
217 x 216 x 143 mm |
Design service life |
6000 h |
Flow Rate Control Unit

Technical Characteristics
Input pressure |
1,75±0,15 bar |
Mass |
0,325 kg |
Overall dimensions |
102 x 87 x 61 mm |
Gaseous interfaces |
1 input, 1 anode output, 2 cathode outputs |
KM-5

Development stage: Flight Model
Power |
1,35 / 2,0 / 2,5 kW |
Thrust |
80/110 / 140 mN |
Specific impulse |
1600 / 1900 / 2100 sec |
Mass |
4,9 kg |
Overall dimensions |
250 x 178 x 115 mm |
Design service life |
4000 h |
KM-10

Development stage: Qualification Model
Power |
10,5 kW (1,5 -12,5 kW) |
Thrust |
510 mN (80- 580 mN) |
Specific impulse |
2600 sec (1500 -3200 sec) |
Mass |
11,8 kg |
Overall dimensions |
305 x 220 x 136 mm |
Design service life |
10000 h |
Flow Rate Control Unit

Technical Characteristics
Input pressure |
2,0±0,15 bar |
Mass |
0,4 kg |
Overall dimensions |
140 x 102 x 69 mm |
Gaseous interfaces |
1 input, 1 anode output, 1 cathode output |
Module
Power |
42 kW |
Thrust |
2 N |
Specific impulse |
2600 sec |
Mass |
60 kg |
Overall dimensions |
570 x 660 x 143 mm |
Design service life |
10000 h |
Ion Thrusters
Keldysh Research Center has been developing ion thrusters in order to use them on prospective geostationary spacecraft, transport modules and interorbital tugs. ID-500 is the biggest one among them with a power of 35 kW and a specific impulse of 7000 sec. It is the most powerful ion thruster in the world for now.
ID-500

Development stage: Qualification Model
Power |
35 kW |
Thrust |
375-750 mN |
Specific impulse |
7000 sec |
Mass |
32,5 kg |
Overall dimensions |
690 x 690 x 500 mm |
Design service life |
20000 h |
Flow Rate Control Unit BUR-500

Technical Characteristics
Input pressure |
1,75±0,15 bar |
Mass |
0,6 kg |
Overall dimensions |
117,5 x 144 x 60,5 mm |
Gaseous interfaces |
1 cathode input, 2 inputs of manifold, 2 cathode outputs, 1 output of collector |
ID-200

Development stage:
Qualification Model
Power |
5 kW |
Thrust |
100 mN |
Specific impulse |
6500 sec |
Mass |
11 kg |
Overall dimensions |
350 x 350 x 350 mm |
Design service life |
20000 h |
Flow Rate Control Unit BUR-200

Technical Characteristics
Input pressure |
1,75±0,15 bar |
Mass |
0,6 kg |
Overall dimensions |
117,5 x 144 x 60,5 mm |
Gaseous interfaces |
1 cathode input, 2 inputs of manifold, 2 cathode outputs, 1 output of collector |
ID-200KR

Development stage:
Qualification Model
Power |
3 kW |
Thrust |
85 mN |
Specific impulse |
4500 sec |
Mass |
10 kg |
Overall dimensions |
345 x 345 x 325 mm |
Design service life |
10000 h |
Flow Rate Control Unit BUR-200KR

Technical Characteristics
Input pressure |
1,75±0,15 bar |
Mass |
0,6 kg |
Overall dimensions |
132 x 134 x 69,5 mm |
Gaseous interfaces |
1 input, 2 cathode outputs, 1 output of collector |
Read more about Digital Technologies
Solid Propellant Rocket Motors (SRMs)
Solid Propellant Rocket Motors (SRM)
The main directions of scientific and technical activity of Keldysh Research Center in the area of solid propellant rocket motors are as follows:- Development of look-ahead scientific & technical best practice for SRM promising systems, organization of work on SRM program development;
- Development of software and methodological support for operational processes modeling occurring in SRM, optimization of their design and analysis of experimental testing results;
- Complex tests of nominal and promising thermal protection and structural materials and filling materials;
- Studies on properties of combustion products of different fuel composition, including a dispersed analysis of condensed combustion products;
- Conducting calculation and experimental research for SRM of a promising emergency rescue system.