Russia says it will no longer sell rocket engines to the United States

Image: ULA

Russia's state space corporation is threatening to stop selling rocket engines to the United States in response to global sanctions. The decision could affect how cargo is sent to the International Space Station, but most rocket launches in the US should not be affected.

In an interview with the Russia 24 TV channel, the head of Roscosmos said that they had stopped the delivery of rocket engines to the United States.

The United Launch Alliance, which is a key launch provider for NASA and the US Department of Defense, is one of the companies that would be affected by the decision. Both companies use Russian rocket engines to propel their vehicles to space. As it transitions to a new vehicle with an American-made engine, ULA claims it already has all the Russian-supplied engines it needs for its rockets. Future flights of the company's vehicles may be paused.

ULA

ULA uses Russia's RD-180 engine to power its workhorse Atlas V rocket, which the company has flown for nearly two decades. The RD-180 is a controversial piece of hardware. Congress banned the use of Russian rocket engines to launch national security satellites in the wake of Russia's annexation of the peninsula, which would have prevented ULA from using the Atlas V for Defense Department missions. The lifting of the ban spurred ULA to begin developing a new rocket, called Vulcan, which would use American-made engines.

I accelerated the delivery of the last RD180s. We have all that are required for the Atlas fly-out in hand, stored at the Rocket Factory in Decatur Alabama https://t.co/jKQHbUdepX

— Tory Bruno (@torybruno) February 25, 2022

Blue Origin was selected by ULA to develop the engine for the new Vulcan. The BE-4 is taking years longer to deliver than originally planned. The first flight BE4s are in the Blue factory, according to Bruno.

ULA has had to rely on the Atlas V to maintain its launch contracts because the Vulcan isn't ready to fly. Bruno said last week that the company needed the last of the RD-180 engines before it flew. The company has about two dozen more RD-180s in Decatur, Alabama, which should cover all Atlas missions through the year 2025. Bruno says that ULA will use the Atlas V for the first flight of the new contract phase. The flights in the second phase will use Vulcan.

It is not clear what will happen if the BE-4 is delayed beyond the last Atlas V mission. ULA has agreements for technical support and spare parts, but if that support is not available, we will still be able to fly out our Atlas program. Russia will no longer help service the remaining RD-180 engines in the US.

Bruno maintains that ULA doesn't need to consult Russia to operate the RD-180.

Northrop Grumman

The biggest impact on the rocket will be the new policy. Russia was going to deliver a dozen more engines in the years to come.

Image: Northrop Grumman

The International Space Station is used by NASA to bring cargo to and from the rocket launched by the company. There are at least two more flights planned for the next couple of years. A new capability of boosting the International Space Station will be tested in April by a Cygnus spaceship at the station.

It is not clear how this latest change will affect launches. The company didn't reply to a request for comment. NASA did not respond to the request for comment.

Russia has been trying to destroy all of its international space partnerships. International sanctions against Russia have been a direct result of the country's decision to invade Ukraine. Russia has suspended joint launches with Europe, held a commercial company's satellite launch hostage, and threatened to end its partnership with NASA on the International Space Station.

If the American partners continue to be hostile, we will return to the question of the existence of the International Space Station.

In the meantime, NASA has other options, in the form of the agency's other commercial partner, SpaceX. The company has contracts with NASA to send people and cargo to the International Space Station on its rockets. The company is immune to Russia's ongoing threats because all of its hardware is made in the United States.