In the program for the development of astronautics, new items may appear, according to which the industry will be engaged in the creation of a new launch vehicle and an engine for it. According to Russian media reports, Samara TsSKB Progress has prepared a package of documents concerning a promising super-heavy launch vehicle. In the future, this rocket can be used to deliver various spacecraft to the moon.
As the newspaper Izvestia writes with reference to the documentation of TsSKB Progress, the project proposed to Roskosmos implies the creation of not only a carrier rocket, but also a promising engine for it. To achieve high performance, the new super-heavy rocket must be equipped with liquid-propellant engines using liquefied natural gas (LNG) and liquid oxygen fuel vapor. The proposed fuel has some advantages over the currently used kerosene, which can positively affect the operation of rocket technology.
The main advantages of LNG are the comparative ease of production and manufacture and, as a result, lower cost. In addition, liquefied natural gas has a wider raw material base in comparison with kerosene. Taking into account the situation in the field of rocket fuel, cheapness and raw material base are of great importance. Izvestia notes that in the submitted documents, TsSKB Progress describes the prospects for various types of rocket fuel. For example, earlier Soviet and Russian missiles used kerosene obtained from oil from the Anastasievsko-Troitskoye field (Krasnodar Territory). Fields are depleted over time, which is why rockets have to be fueled with fuel obtained by mixing several types of kerosene. In the future, such a shortage of raw materials will only increase.
An engine using LNG-liquid oxygen fuel pair will only be developed in the distant future. Therefore, the period of active operation of missiles with such a power plant may come at a time when oil fields are depleted, which will affect the cost of kerosene. Thus, liquefied natural gas will be the most efficient fuel in terms of economy.
At the same time, LNG makes it possible to reduce the cost of launches already now, at current fuel prices. In the future, when using LNG and liquid oxygen, it is possible to reduce the launch cost by 1.5-2 times in comparison with the kerosene-oxygen fuel pair. In addition, liquefied natural gas can be used as fuel for reusable rocket engines. In this case, the procedure for cleaning the engine in preparation for a new flight is simplified as much as possible: you just need to evaporate the remnants of liquefied gas.
It should be noted that liquefied natural gas and liquefied methane have long been of interest to designers of rocket engines. Compared to the currently used fuels, LNG and methane can achieve better performance. However, both LNG and methane have not yet reached active exploitation. The main reason for this is the specific characteristics of these types of fuel, as well as their combination with cost.
It is known that an engine using LNG and liquid oxygen has a higher specific impulse compared to a power plant using kerosene. However, methane-based fuels have a lower density than kerosene. As a result, the rocket needs larger fuel tanks, which affects its dimensions and launch weight. Ultimately, a rocket powered by LNG or methane does not have any significant advantages over the "kerosene" one that would allow it to find its place in astronautics.
In addition, the economic benefits of using alternative fuels are not always feasible. Izvestia quotes the words of a corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics. Tsiolkovsky A. Ionina. According to the specialist, only a fraction of a percent of the total launch cost is spent on the purchase of fuel. In this case, the savings are not too large. The situation is similar with environmental aspects: A. Ionin notes that rockets fly too rarely to have a noticeable effect on the environmental situation.
However, research on promising rocket engines is underway, moreover, they began a long time ago. Thus, NPO Energomash has been studying promising power plants for launch vehicles since the beginning of the eighties, including those with engines using liquefied methane and liquid oxygen. According to some reports, NPO Energomash is currently working on the technical design of a new light-class launch vehicle. The first stage of this rocket can get a promising single-chamber liquid engine using a methane-oxygen fuel pair, which can develop a thrust of up to 200 tons.
The exact prospects for the proposed launch vehicle and CNG engine are not yet clear. Roscosmos officials have yet to comment on the proposal. The documentation is probably undergoing review at this time. In this regard, it is too early to talk about the timing of the start and completion of work, as well as the time of the first launches of promising missiles. Apparently, active design work on the new project will begin only in a few years, and all its stages will require at least 10-12 years. Thus, the operation of the new super-heavy launch vehicle with the engine of the new system can begin no earlier than the second half of the twenties.
