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NK-15

Soviet rocket engine design

Field	Value
name	NK-15
country_of_origin	Soviet Union
date	1960s
designer	Kuznetsov Design Bureau
purpose	1st/2nd-stage engine
predecessor	NK-9
successor	NK-33
type	liquid
oxidiser	LOX
fuel	RG-1
mixture_ratio	2.52:1 (oxidizer:fuel)
cycle	Staged combustion
pumps	Turbopump
thrust(Vac)	1544 kN
thrust(SL)	1526 kN
throttle_range	50–105%
thrust_to_weight	126.22:1
chamber_pressure	7.85 MPa
specific_impulse_vacuum	318 isp
specific_impulse_sea_level	297 isp
length	2.7 m
diameter	1.5 m
dry_weight	1247 kg
references

| thrust(Vac) = 1544 kN | thrust(SL) = 1526 kN

The NK-15 (GRAU index: 11D51) was a rocket engine designed and built in the late 1960s by the Kuznetsov Design Bureau. The NK designation was derived from the initials of chief designer Nikolay Kuznetsov. The NK-15 was among the most powerful LOX/kerosene rocket engines when it was built, with a high specific impulse and low structural mass. It was intended for the ill-fated Soviet N-1 Moon rocket.

History

The engine equipped the N1 rocket - the first two launch attempts failed due to this engine. Its successor, the NK-33 was to be used on the N1F, an upgraded version of the N1, but the program was cancelled.

Versions

NK-15V (GRAU index: 11D52): modified NK-15 optimized for vacuum operation, used on the second stage of the N1.

References

Kiseleva, Mariia. (2021-11-24). "Soviet Rocket Engines".
"NK-15".
(2011). "Rockets and people.". NASA.
Sesnic, Trevor. (2023-06-02). "Starship vs. N1".
Avilla, Aeryn. (21 February 2020). "N1: The Rise and Fall of the USSR's Moon Rocket".

Info: Wikipedia Source

This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.

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