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Rocket Engines

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Liquid Rocket Engines (LREs)

Liquid Rocket Engines (LREs)

Liquid Rocket Engines are reliability, efficiency, ecological safety and reusability.

Future LRE


Cost reduction
Energy and mass perfection
New materials (including carbon-carbon composite materials)
High reliability
Optimal parameters
New technologies (nano-, 3D)



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

More about a test bench

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.

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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

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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

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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

Flow Rate Control Unit

KM-88

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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

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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

Flow Rate Control Unit

KM-5

6684be6fcae0d41a04e24f654f39d6eb8.jpg

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

km10.jpg

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
lock2.png
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

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Technical Characteristics

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


Flow Rate Control Unit and Module

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

id500.png

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
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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

Flow Rate Control Unit BUR-500

ID-200

id200_1.jpg

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
block200.png
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


Flow Rate Control Unit BUR-200

ID-200KR

id200kr.jpg

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
block200kr.png
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


Flow Rate Control Unit BUR-200KR


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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.

Specialized test and diagnostic equipment, methodological support and software & analytical complex for conducting experimental research were specially created.