KBKhA RD-0146 expander-cycle rocket engine
KBKhA's RD-0146 was a development-stage LOX/LH2 upper-stage engine and Russia's first expander-cycle liquid rocket engine. The KBKhA/AIAA technical paper documents a closed expander cycle, 10-ton-force vacuum thrust, 451–463 s vacuum specific impulse, 1–5 starts within a flight, and 400–1100 s operating duration; the row records development status without asserting a flown vehicle installation.
Identity
- Aliases
- RD0146RD-0146RD0146U
- Domains
- spaceflight
- Identity Level
- model
- Kind
- liquid-rocket-engine
- Name
- KBKhA RD-0146 expander-cycle rocket engine
- Status
- development
Details
- Description
- KBKhA's RD-0146 was a development-stage LOX/LH2 upper-stage engine and Russia's first expander-cycle liquid rocket engine. The KBKhA/AIAA technical paper documents a closed expander cycle, 10-ton-force vacuum thrust, 451–463 s vacuum specific impulse, 1–5 starts within a flight, and 400–1100 s operating duration; the row records development status without asserting a flown vehicle installation.
- Developers
- Propellants
- liquid oxygenliquid hydrogen
- Rocket Specs
- Cycle
- closed expander
- Restartable
- Yes
- Vacuum Thrust Kn
- 98.0665
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 15, 2026 at 03:44:25 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 15, 2026 at 03:44:25 UTC
Other
- Sources
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-14
- Note
- KBKhA authors document RD0146 as the first Russian LOX/LH2 expander-cycle engine, with 10-ton-force vacuum thrust, 451–463 s vacuum specific impulse, 1–5 starts within a flight, and 400–1100 s duration.
- Publisher
- American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics
- Title
- The First Russian LOX-LH2 Expander Cycle LRE: RD0146
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-14
- Note
- KBKhA's official history records the first firing of RD0146 in 2001 and identifies it as Russia's first expander-cycle engine.
- Publisher
- Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (KBKhA)
- Title
- KBKhA History
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-14
- Note
- KBKhA's technical-complex page documents continued RD0146D-1 development for a heavy-class upper stage, distinguishing the RD-0146 family from the historical RD-0120 row.
- Publisher
- Chemical Automatics Design Bureau (KBKhA)
- Title
- Scientific and Technical Complex