The NK-15 (GRAU index 11D51) was a rocket engine designed and built in the late 1960s by the Kuznetsov Design Bureau. The NK designation was derived from the initials of chief designer Nikolay Kuznetsov. The NK-15 was among the most powerful LOX/kerosene rocket engines when it was built, with a high specific impulse and low structural mass. It was intended for the ill-fated Soviet N-1 Moon rocket.
History
The engine equipped the N1 rocket - the first two launch attempts failed due to this engine.[1] Its successor the NK-33 was to be used on the N1F, a new version of the N1, but the program was cancelled.
Versions
- NK-15V (GRAU index 11D52): Modified NK-15 optimized for vacuum operation, used on the N1 second stage.
See also
References
- ^ Chertok, Boris E. (2011). Rockets and people (PDF). Washington, DC: NASA. p. 208,230. ISBN 978-0-16-089559-3. Retrieved 9 August 2021.
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