Corresponding member of RACC Andrey Ionin He stated, that American Merlin engines and Russian RD-180s are used for different purposes.
Earlier, Ars Technica reported, that the Falcon rocket 9 with engines of the Merlin family for the first time by the number of launches bypassed the carrier Atlas V, using a Russian-made power unit RD-180. The latter, even in the West, is considered one of the most reliable and efficient in the world..
The editors emphasized, that held 22 April Falcon launch 9 SpaceX became the 84th for this carrier, while Atlas V, manufactured by United Launch Alliance, took out the payload only 83 fold. In Ars Technica they remind, that the first launch of the Falcon 9 took 4 June 2010 of the year, while Atlas V was first launched 21 August 2002 of the year. comes, that, on average, over the past three years, the SpaceX carrier has launched 17 once a year, and the ULA rocket is about five.
The publication recognizes, that one Falcon launch failed and another partially successful, whereas of all Atlas V launches, only one was partially successful. Commenting on the Ars Technica post, corresponding member of the Russian Academy of Cosmonautics, Andrey Ionin, chief analyst of the non-profit partnership GLONASS, in an interview with a correspondent Federal News Agency reported, that a comparison of American and Russian-made engines is simply inappropriate.
“In this situation, one should ask the question - which is better, tractor or Mercedes? If we're going to drive across a plowed field, the, maybe, better tractor, and if on the highway, the, of course, Mercedes». Here too - it is impossible to make such a comparison. From an engineering point of view, technical solutions, Russian engines of the RD-180 family are the highest engineering level, and in terms of cost - well, Merlin, although its price has never been published, I think it will be much cheaper. What is the market buying?? Is technical perfection? Ilon Mask works in the market, he does not seek to create a tsar engine, to be the most technically advanced device. He is a businessman and does, what can sell, - says expert.
At the same time, the interlocutor of the FAN clarifies, that Roskosmos in this situation also has nothing to be proud of, because all ingenious technical solutions, which formed the basis of the engines of the RD-180 family, were established in the 70s, long before the advent of Roscosmos.
And on this line we live, also, like on Soyuz rockets, created Sergei Pavlovich Korolev, on rockets "Proton" created Vladimir Nikolaevich Chelomey. RD-180 is a more technical engine, there the main characteristic is suppose the specific impulse, combustion chamber pressure. well yes, these engines are better, but they were created in a different era, for other tasks. At that time, no one thought about the market, and Musk creates an engine for the market, and for the market, the main thing with the required reliability is to ensure the minimum price. properly, Musk did it., it demonstrates the lowest price on the market, and Rogozin tells, what is dumping. But it's not dumping, it's just a good engine, but cheap", Ion continued..
Currently, no one pays extra to the Russian state corporation for perfect technical solutions and outstanding performance, engines are simply required to solve the problem. With Merlin, the same thing - the power unit must put the payload into orbit, and it does its job at a lower cost..
Recall, head of NASA Jim Brydenstein previously stated, that the first launch of the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft with astronauts on board to the ISS will take place 27 May. Such a launch could mean the loss of Russia's monopoly on the delivery of people to the International Space Station, in existence since July 2011 of the year.
Author: Igor Sarmatov
