Russia cuts support for rocket engines that U.S. companies use in Pentagon launches

[gounion]

American stupidity:

The Russian space agency Roscosmos said Thursday that it no longer will service the RD-180 rocket engines that are used by the United Launch Alliance, the joint venture of Lockheed Martin and Boeing, to launch national security missions for the Pentagon.

It also will cut off the supply of the RD-181 engines used in Northrop Grumman’s Antares rocket, which carries supplies to the International Space Station.

“In a situation like this, we can’t supply the United States with our world’s best rocket engines,” Dmitry Rogozin, the head of Roscosmos, said on Russian state television, according to Reuters. “Let them fly on something else, their broomsticks, I don’t know what.”

Another case where I hate being fucking right. We've sold our sovereignty for cheap goods, mostly because we don't want American workers to have good jobs.

[ZoWie]

Don't forget that most of these commercial launch contractors are using this same series of Russian engines. This is the fallacy in US commercial space flight. We outsourced the first stage engines for practically everything, and gave a low priority to our own refinements of designs that were basically scaled up versions of Von Braun's stuff in WWII. These refinements are still in development, but the time lags from concept to operational uses seem to be measured in decades.

This pretty well sums up the kind of decision making that started with Ronnie Ray Gun's corporate backers enshrining outsourcing and globalized production. Everyone with half a brain predicted all these problems with suppliers and shippers that the Republicans now blame anyone but themselves for.

[Bludogdem]

Space Force: Only 6 More Launches With Russian Rocket Engines

“ The U.S. Space Force is ahead of schedule in phasing out a controversial Russian-manufactured rocket engine for approved launches, the service’s second in command said on Wednesday.

Lt. Gen. David Thompson, vice chief of space operations, told the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Strategic Forces that while the U.S. military has congressional authorization to use the Russian-manufactured RD-180 rocket engine for up to 18 more launches, current plans are to use them only for six more launches.

After that, Thompson said, “We will then have two separate companies with launch capabilities that are not reliant on the RD-180 engine anymore.” (Thompson's comments were specific to the Space Force, not NASA, which has additional launches scheduled with rockets using the Russian engine.)

Those two launch capabilities would be the SpaceX Merlin, which is used on the Falcon Heavy rocket, and the Blue Origin BE-4, which is used on United Launch Alliance’s, or ULA’s, Vulcan Centaur rocket. ULA’s legacy rocket, the Atlas 5, used the Russian-manufactured RD-180 engine since 2000.“


https://www.defenseone.com/technology/2 ... es/174336/


I’m sure NASA will easily adapt the Spacex and Blue Origin engines.

This will certainly bring Spacex and Blue Origin a lot more customers.

[gounion]

So explain why we bought them in the first place?

[carmenjonze]

Space Force: Only 6 More Launches With Russian Rocket Engines

Space Force is stupid af

I’m sure NASA will easily adapt the Spacex and Blue Origin engines.

This will certainly bring Spacex and Blue Origin a lot more customers.

f. an apartheid rocketship.

What stupid ideas.

[Number6]

So explain why we bought them in the first place?

I think the reason is because Russian rocket engines are more powerful than U.S. rocket engines.

[marindem01]

I think the reason is because Russian rocket engines are more powerful than U.S. rocket engines.

The Russian booster had better lift capacity.

[gounion]

I think the reason is because Russian rocket engines are more powerful than U.S. rocket engines.

Funny, we developed the most powerful rocket ever built - the Saturn 5.

The US government has been nickle-and-diming the space program ever since Apollo. We let everyone catch up and surpass us.

It's a travesty.

[Bludogdem]

ULA stops selling its centerpiece Atlas V, setting path for the rocket’s retirement
The Boeing-Lockheed joint venture will retire its stalwart rocket after 29 more missions

By Joey Roulette Aug 26, 2021, 3:30pm EDT

“ United Launch Alliance won’t be selling any more of its workhorse Atlas V rockets, and it has stopped buying the launch vehicle’s Russian-made rocket engines for good, the company’s chief executive told The Verge. ULA’s decision sets up the retirement of one of the US government’s most trusted launch vehicles and is expected to mark the end for Russia’s iconic — but controversial — RD-180 engine, an engineering marvel and a core source of revenue for Russia’s space program.

“We’re done. They’re all sold,” CEO Tory Bruno said of ULA’s Atlas V rockets in an interview. ULA, a joint venture between Boeing and Lockheed Martin, has 29 Atlas V missions left before it retires sometime in the mid-2020s and transitions to its upcoming Vulcan rocket, Bruno said. The remaining Atlas V missions include a mix of undisclosed commercial customers and some for the Space Force, NASA, and Amazon’s budding broadband satellite constellation, Project Kuiper.”

“Bruno said three or four RD-180s are installed on Atlas V rockets for upcoming missions, and the rest are sitting in a warehouse. “We took early delivery, if you will, with the RD-180, so I can end that relationship and not be dependent upon [Russia] because that’s what Congress asked us to do,” he said. In all, the US has taken delivery of 122 RD-180 engines, generating billions in revenue for Russia’s space program.

The last six RD-180 engines were delivered to the US in April, Russia’s space agency, Roscosmos, has previously said.”

https://www.theverge.com/2021/8/26/2264 ... ssia-rd180


“ A senior Pentagon leader said he hadn’t heard any major concerns about U.S. space access being affected by the move.

“I think our launch needs will be met,” U.S. Air Force Secretary Frank Kendall said at a briefing on Thursday.

United Launch Alliance, the Boeing-Lockheed launch company, uses Russian-made RD-180 engines on its Atlas V rocket.

A spokeswoman for the joint venture said that it has the necessary RD-180 engines to complete space missions on the Atlas V for current customers. Those engines are stored at a factory in Decatur, Ala., she said.”

https://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/russia ... VCkeoZ6Iiy

So this is a nothing burger. We have what we need and don’t need any more.

[Bludogdem]

So explain why we bought them in the first place?

Because at $9.9 million an engine they were cheap, they worked, and they were readily available.

[gounion]

Because at $9.9 million an engine they were cheap, they worked, and they were readily available.

Yep, because we're the "we can't" country under the GOP. Sell them the technology, and to hell with American workers.

We sold our sovereignty. And you're cheering it. Not surprised.

Easy to see which side you're on. And it ain't ours.

[Bludogdem]

Yep, because we're the "we can't" country under the GOP. Sell them the technology, and to hell with American workers.

We sold our sovereignty. And you're cheering it. Not surprised.

Easy to see which side you're on. And it ain't ours.

All the way to orbit: After 35 years, is the RS-25 still the Ferrari of rocket engines?

https://www.planetary.org/articles/2016 ... y-to-orbit

I doubt you can understand the significance of what this article states. But I’ll post it anyway.
Your ignorance of the modern space program is appalling. We are very, very, very, advanced. Sometimes it’s better to just buy the cheaper engine to do the basic functions while developing the very big advances.

[gounion]

All the way to orbit: After 35 years, is the RS-25 still the Ferrari of rocket engines?

https://www.planetary.org/articles/2016 ... y-to-orbit

I doubt you can understand the significance of what this article states. But I’ll post it anyway.
Your ignorance of the modern space program is appalling. We are very, very, very, advanced. Sometimes it’s better to just buy the cheaper engine to do the basic functions while developing the very big advances.

Pretty funny dipshit. I spent years in the aerospace industry. My wife worked at the Cape. The cape is unionized. Hell, I knew the guys that assembled the shuttle to the tank and boosters in the VAB. So yes, I understand it far better than you.

Oh, wait, you do have thirty or forty degrees, don't you?

We have nickle and dimed the space program since Apollo. Did you ever wonder why the Space Shuttle was a glider that returned to earth without an engine? That's because the engine was cut out because of budget cuts. The shuttle was a platform no one wanted, but it was all they could get the Nixon administration to pay for! The other horrible decision that was made because of budget constraints were the solid rocket boosters. They were always considered a no-go to be used on manned flights, because once you light that candle, you can't turn it off.

But they didn't really have a choice. And one crew paid for that decision with their lives.

So after Apollo, we stepped back, and instead of a real space station and working to colonize the moon, we built a pickup truck to low earth orbit. Hell, we couldn't even put most satellites up, we'd have to put a rocket on them to boost them on up to their actual orbit.

And you're bragging about how we let the Russians get a leg up on us, like it's something we should be proud of.

Well, I guess Putie is your boy, just like all the other conservatives. Russia first, right?

[Bludogdem]

Pretty funny dipshit. I spent years in the aerospace industry. My wife worked at the Cape. The cape is unionized. Hell, I knew the guys that assembled the shuttle to the tank and boosters in the VAB. So yes, I understand it far better than you.

Oh, wait, you do have thirty or forty degrees, don't you?

We have nickle and dimed the space program since Apollo. Did you ever wonder why the Space Shuttle was a glider that returned to earth without an engine? That's because the engine was cut out because of budget cuts. The shuttle was a platform no one wanted, but it was all they could get the Nixon administration to pay for! The other horrible decision that was made because of budget constraints were the solid rocket boosters. They were always considered a no-go to be used on manned flights, because once you light that candle, you can't turn it off.

But they didn't really have a choice. And one crew paid for that decision with their lives.

So after Apollo, we stepped back, and instead of a real space station and working to colonize the moon, we built a pickup truck to low earth orbit. Hell, we couldn't even put most satellites up, we'd have to put a rocket on them to boost them on up to their actual orbit.

And you're bragging about how we let the Russians get a leg up on us, like it's something we should be proud of.

Well, I guess Putie is your boy, just like all the other conservatives. Russia first, right?

[gounion]

Pretty hard to argue with that, Green Grass!

[Bludogdem]

Pretty funny dipshit. I spent years in the aerospace industry. My wife worked at the Cape. The cape is unionized. Hell, I knew the guys that assembled the shuttle to the tank and boosters in the VAB. So yes, I understand it far better than you.

Oh, wait, you do have thirty or forty degrees, don't you?

We have nickle and dimed the space program since Apollo. Did you ever wonder why the Space Shuttle was a glider that returned to earth without an engine? That's because the engine was cut out because of budget cuts. The shuttle was a platform no one wanted, but it was all they could get the Nixon administration to pay for! The other horrible decision that was made because of budget constraints were the solid rocket boosters. They were always considered a no-go to be used on manned flights, because once you light that candle, you can't turn it off.

But they didn't really have a choice. And one crew paid for that decision with their lives.

So after Apollo, we stepped back, and instead of a real space station and working to colonize the moon, we built a pickup truck to low earth orbit. Hell, we couldn't even put most satellites up, we'd have to put a rocket on them to boost them on up to their actual orbit.

And you're bragging about how we let the Russians get a leg up on us, like it's something we should be proud of.

Well, I guess Putie is your boy, just like all the other conservatives. Russia first, right?

Yeah, you’re too stupid to understand how far ahead we are. I figured those articles were beyond your limited reasoning skills.

They don’t have a leg up on anything. We bought cheap engines to do fundamental tasks while we made substantial advances. And you’re the idiot who fell for the Russian story. We already have the engines to finish the ULA run. It’s dupes like you who make a big stink when there’s nothing there.

We are engaging in a tremendous level of aerospace activity.

Since you didn’t understand the significance of the RS25 engine for SLS maybe this will help

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

[carmenjonze]

Yeah, you’re too stupid …

Lol how are YOU of all people around here gonna call somebody else “stupid “?

[gounion]

Yeah, you’re too stupid to understand how far ahead we are. I figured those articles were beyond your limited reasoning skills.

They don’t have a leg up on anything. We bought cheap engines to do fundamental tasks while we made substantial advances. And you’re the idiot who fell for the Russian story. We already have the engines to finish the ULA run. It’s dupes like you who make a big stink when there’s nothing there.

We are engaging in a tremendous level of aerospace activity.

Again, I know far more than you ever would. When we ended the shuttle, we had no way to get astronauts up to the ISS ourselves.

And you've been listening to the Donald Trump boasts that never will happen. He said we'd be back on the moon in 2024. That will never happen.

And we come up with the big programs, but they aren't funded. The Constellation Program was cancelled, and now we have Artemis, and I have grave concerns whether it will be funded or not. I have my extreme doubts.

Since the Shuttle, we keep making big plans and promises that aren't funded and fall apart.

That's just the reality. I'm a huge fan of the space program, but I look at reality, not Donald Trump's brags.

[Libertas]

Lol how are YOU of all people around here gonna call somebody else “stupid “?

Why is a liar calling anyone stupid?

[gounion]

Yeah, you’re too stupid to understand how far ahead we are. I figured those articles were beyond your limited reasoning skills.

They don’t have a leg up on anything. We bought cheap engines to do fundamental tasks while we made substantial advances. And you’re the idiot who fell for the Russian story. We already have the engines to finish the ULA run. It’s dupes like you who make a big stink when there’s nothing there.

We are engaging in a tremendous level of aerospace activity.

Since you didn’t understand the significance of the RS25 engine for SLS maybe this will help

https://www.nasa.gov/exploration/systems/sls/index.html

Yeah, you call me stupid, which is funny - but your argument is basically "read the link". You're nothing without Google.

[bradman]

Yo Rogozin, check these American broomsticks out.....





https://news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-points ... 20192.html
Elon Musk points to recent SpaceX launch to mock Russia's suggestion the US might have to fly into space on 'broomsticks' after rocket sales stop

Hours after Rogozin's comments, SpaceX launched 47 of its own Starlink satellites into orbit using the company's Falcon 9 rocket.

Musk responded to a video of SpaceX's launch on Twitter with a screenshot of Rogozin's comments highlighted along with the words "American Broomstick" and four US flags.

Seems it could hurt Russia's aerospace industry far more than ours.

[ZoWie]

SpaceX uses its own Merlin engines that, I believe, are built from parts that don't come from Russia. Musk is doing his usual self-promotion on the Falcon booster, as it launches a zillion microsats into space and makes ground based astronomy much more difficult for everyone else. Of course, the Internet bandwidth thus enabled is available in Russia, but fortunately the system is embryonic and in fact Musk has cautioned people in harm's way not to use it because it could be used to track them.

Far as I can tell, Ukraine is in the communication dark age right now. BBC and whatever Austria calls its external broadcast service are scrambling to get short wave transmitters going again. Once again, Cold War II starts to look like Cold War I.

[carmenjonze]

Yo Rogozin, check these American broomsticks out.....





https://news.yahoo.com/elon-musk-points ... 20192.html
Elon Musk points to recent SpaceX launch to mock Russia's suggestion the US might have to fly into space on 'broomsticks' after rocket sales stop


Seems it could hurt Russia's aerospace industry far more than ours.

Yayyy Apartheid broomsticks!

:problem:

Musk: Starlink Won't Block Russian News Outlets - PC Magazine

Colonize Mars, colonize Ukraine, watch the colonizers call it heroic. :problem:

Lol f this guy.

[Libertas]

What wont Musk do unless at gunpoint?

Block who what? Which countries asked him to do what? Is he being a prick again?

[ZoWie]

I hope you didn't think I was praising Musk by noting that he developed a largely domestic source for engines. Better yet, his broomsticks currently land themselves on automated barges for reuse on subsequent launches. Russian broomsticks cannot do that. It's an admirable technology, despite the personality deficiencies of the guy who makes them.

To put it succinctly, I am fully aware that he's an asshole. That's actually the best word, in fact. Like a lot of these guys, he got to where he is by being a bigger asshole than the competition.