The Rocketdyne LR89 was a liquid-fueled rocket engine developed in the 1950s by
Rocketdyne
Rocketdyne is an American rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, Canoga Park, in the western San Fernando Valley of suburban Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, in southern California.
Rocketdyne ...
, a division of
North American Aviation
North American Aviation (NAA) was a major American aerospace manufacturer that designed and built several notable aircraft and spacecraft. Its products included the T-6 Texan trainer, the P-51 Mustang fighter, the B-25 Mitchell bomber, the F- ...
. It was designed to serve as a booster engine the
Atlas rocket family.
The LR89 was a
liquid oxygen
Liquid oxygen, sometimes abbreviated as LOX or LOXygen, is a clear cyan liquid form of dioxygen . It was used as the oxidizer in the first liquid-fueled rocket invented in 1926 by Robert H. Goddard, an application which is ongoing.
Physical ...
(LOX) and
RP-1
RP-1 (Rocket Propellant-1 or Refined Petroleum-1) and similar fuels like RG-1 and T-1 are highly refined kerosene formulations used as rocket fuel. Liquid-fueled rockets that use RP-1 as fuel are known as kerolox rockets. In their engines, RP- ...
(kerosene) engine.
It was used in configurations where it worked alongside the
LR105 sustainer engine to enhance thrust in the first stage of the Atlas, being jettisoned when the vehicle weight had been considerably reduced due to propellant consumption.
Description
The LR89 was part of a family of engines that Rocketdyne developed to power the first American
ICBMs and satellite launch vehicles. It was a
gas-generator cycle
The gas-generator cycle, also referred to as the GG cycle or colloquially as an open cycle, is one of the most commonly used power cycles in bipropellant liquid rocket engines.
Propellant is burned in a gas generator (analogous to, but distinct ...
engine, in which a portion of the fuel and oxidizer is burned to drive a turbine, which powers the fuel pumps, and featured a hypergolic igniter.
Versions
The LR89 engine underwent several upgrades throughout its operational life, resulting in multiple versions:
Atlas stage
The LR89 powered the first Atlas stage, in different configurations:
* MA-1 (booster only): two XLR89-1 booster engines and two
LR101 vernier engines. Used on
Atlas A;
* MA-1: two XLR89-1 booster engines, an LR105-3 sustainer, and two LR101 vernier engines. Used on
Atlas B and
Atlas C missiles;
* MA-2: two XLR89-5 booster engines, an LR105-5 sustainer, and two LR101 vernier engines. Used on
Atlas D and
Atlas LV-3B
The Atlas LV-3B, Atlas D Mercury Launch Vehicle or Mercury-Atlas Launch Vehicle, was a Human-rating certification, human-rated expendable launch system used as part of the United States Project Mercury to send astronauts into low Earth orbit. M ...
;
* MA-3: two LR89-5 booster engines, an LR105-5 sustainer, and two LR101 vernier engines. Used on
Atlas E,
Atlas F
The SM-65F Atlas, or Atlas-F, was the final operational variant of the Atlas missile, only differing from the Atlas E in the launch facility and guidance package used. It first flew on 8 August 1961, and was deployed as an operational ICBM between ...
and
Atlas E/F
The Atlas E/F (or SB-1A) was an American expendable launch system and sounding rocket built using parts of decommissioned SM-65 Atlas missiles. It was a member of the Atlas (rocket family), Atlas family of rockets.
The first stage was built ...
;
* MA-5: two LR89-7 booster engines, an LR105-5 sustainer, and two LR101 vernier engines. Used on
Atlas SLV3,
Atlas H
The Atlas H was an American expendable launch system derived from the SM-65 Atlas missile. It was a member of the Atlas (rocket family), Atlas family of rockets, and was used to launch five clusters of Naval Ocean Surveillance System, NOSS satell ...
,
Atlas LV3C,
Atlas G and
Atlas I
The Atlas I was a US expendable launch system manufactured by General Dynamics in the 1990s to launch a variety of satellites. It was largely a commercial rebrand of the Atlas G (although it did fly multiple government payloads), but did featur ...
.
See also
*
Rocketdyne LR105
*
Rocketdyne LR101
*
SM-65 Atlas
The SM-65 Atlas was the first operational intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) developed by the United States and the first member of the Atlas rocket family. It was built for the U.S. Air Force by the Convair Division of General ...
*
Rocketdyne
Rocketdyne is an American rocket engine design and production company headquartered in Canoga Park, California, Canoga Park, in the western San Fernando Valley of suburban Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, in southern California.
Rocketdyne ...
References
Rocket engines using kerosene propellant
Rocketdyne engines
Rocket engines of the United States
Atlas (rocket family)
{{rocketry-stub