![]() An RS-88 is fired at
Stennis Space Center | |
Country of origin | ![]() |
---|---|
Designer | Rocketdyne |
Manufacturer |
|
Status | Active |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant |
LOX /
Ethanol MMH / NTO (LAE variant) |
Cycle | Gas-generator |
Performance | |
Thrust, sea-level | 220 kN (49,000 lbf) (ethanol) 176.6 kN (39,700 lbf) (hypergolic) |
Used in | |
CST-100 Starliner |
The RS-88 (Rocket System-88) is a
liquid-fueled rocket engine designed and built in the United States by
Rocketdyne (later
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and then
Aerojet Rocketdyne). Originally developed for NASA's Bantam System Technology program in 1997, the RS-88 burned ethanol fuel with liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer. It offered 220 kN (49,000 lbf) of thrust at sea level.
A hypergolic derivative of the RS-88, fueled by monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, was chosen as the launch escape motor for the Boeing Starliner capsule.
The RS-88 stemmed from NASA's Bantam System Technology Project, part of the Low-Cost Technologies effort of the larger Advanced Space Transportation Program. [1] This project aimed to research and demonstrate technologies for a new, affordable launch system. While the program envisioned a technology demonstration flight in late 1999, it ultimately focused on engine development. [2]
NASA tested the RS-88 in a series of 14 hot-fire tests, resulting in 55 seconds of successful engine operation in November and December 2003.
In 2003, Lockheed Martin selected the RS-88 for their pad abort demonstration vehicle. NASA successfully tested the engine in a series of hot-fire tests, demonstrating its reliability.
A hypergolic derivative of the RS-88, fueled by monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and nitrogen tetroxide, was chosen as the launch escape motor for the Boeing Starliner capsule. [3] This variant, called the Launch Abort Engine (LAE), provides 176.6 kN (39,700 lbf) of thrust. [4] Four LAE engines are used in Starliner's abort system to propel the capsule away from the launch vehicle in case of an emergency. [5]
![]() An RS-88 is fired at
Stennis Space Center | |
Country of origin | ![]() |
---|---|
Designer | Rocketdyne |
Manufacturer |
|
Status | Active |
Liquid-fuel engine | |
Propellant |
LOX /
Ethanol MMH / NTO (LAE variant) |
Cycle | Gas-generator |
Performance | |
Thrust, sea-level | 220 kN (49,000 lbf) (ethanol) 176.6 kN (39,700 lbf) (hypergolic) |
Used in | |
CST-100 Starliner |
The RS-88 (Rocket System-88) is a
liquid-fueled rocket engine designed and built in the United States by
Rocketdyne (later
Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne and then
Aerojet Rocketdyne). Originally developed for NASA's Bantam System Technology program in 1997, the RS-88 burned ethanol fuel with liquid oxygen (LOX) as the oxidizer. It offered 220 kN (49,000 lbf) of thrust at sea level.
A hypergolic derivative of the RS-88, fueled by monomethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide, was chosen as the launch escape motor for the Boeing Starliner capsule.
The RS-88 stemmed from NASA's Bantam System Technology Project, part of the Low-Cost Technologies effort of the larger Advanced Space Transportation Program. [1] This project aimed to research and demonstrate technologies for a new, affordable launch system. While the program envisioned a technology demonstration flight in late 1999, it ultimately focused on engine development. [2]
NASA tested the RS-88 in a series of 14 hot-fire tests, resulting in 55 seconds of successful engine operation in November and December 2003.
In 2003, Lockheed Martin selected the RS-88 for their pad abort demonstration vehicle. NASA successfully tested the engine in a series of hot-fire tests, demonstrating its reliability.
A hypergolic derivative of the RS-88, fueled by monomethylhydrazine (MMH) and nitrogen tetroxide, was chosen as the launch escape motor for the Boeing Starliner capsule. [3] This variant, called the Launch Abort Engine (LAE), provides 176.6 kN (39,700 lbf) of thrust. [4] Four LAE engines are used in Starliner's abort system to propel the capsule away from the launch vehicle in case of an emergency. [5]