RL10: the first liquid-hydrogen rocket engine to fly
Motor RL10: primer motor cohete de hidrógeno líquido en volar
- Date
- 27 de noviembre de 1963 · confidence high
- Place
- West Palm Beach, Florida, United States
- Credited to
- Pratt & Whitney, NASA and General Dynamics (Centaur stage)
- Field
- Movement
What it is
A cryogenic engine burning liquid hydrogen and oxygen with a specific impulse far above that of kerosene. It flew on the Atlas's Centaur upper stage and opened the door to lunar and planetary probes with large payloads.
The RL10 is still in service. The date is that of the first successful flight of the Centaur stage with the RL10 (Atlas-Centaur AC-2); the first attempt (1962) failed because of problems with the rocket's structure.
What it led to
- the Centaur stage: Surveyor, Voyager and Viking probes
- later hydrogen engines (J-2, RS-25, Vulcain)
- cryogenic stages for Ariane and Delta