Roscosmos finalizes firing trials of world's most powerful rocket engine

MOSCOW. Aug 25 (Interfax) - Russia's Roscosmos has announced the successful completion of firing trials for the RD-171MV engine, which is planned for use on the prospective Soyuz-5 launch vehicle.

"NPO Energomash, a unit of the Roscosmos state corporation, has successfully completed firing trials of the RD-171MV development-type engine for the prospective Soyuz-5 launch vehicle," Roscosmos said.

In all, the engine ran for 1,461 seconds during nine firing trials without being removed from the test bench, it said.

"Every trial was successful and confirmed the engine's features as designed," Roscosmos said.

RD-171MV is the world's most powerful liquid-fuel engine designed to propel the Soyuz-5 rocket. It may be installed in the first stage of the super-heavy-lift launch vehicle.

The engine thrust can exceed 800 tonnes, which will make it the most powerful engine in the world.

Roscosmos said on December 31, 2021, that test flights of the RD-171MV liquid-fuel engine for the Soyuz-5 rocket might begin in 2022.

Energia is the lead designer of the Soyuz-5 medium-lift rocket, aka Irtysh. The rocket propelled by the RD-171MV engine is being developed under the Fenix R&D Project. The two-stage rocket will be launched in a joint mission with Kazakhstan from a Baikonur site formerly used for Zenit missions. Soyuz-5 can bring up to 17 tonnes of payloads into a parking orbit.