RD-103 home
topic index
Engine Model: RD-103. Manufacturer Name: RD-103. Government Designation: 8D52. Other Designations: 8D71. Designer: Glushko. Developed in: 1947-53. Application: R-5. Propellants: Lox/Alcohol. Thrust(vac): 500.000 kN (112,400 lbf). Thrust(sl): 432.000 kN (97,117 lbf). Isp: 243 sec. Isp (sea level): 216 sec. Burn time: 120 sec. Mass Engine: 870 kg (1,910 lb). Diameter: 1.65 m (5.41 ft). Length: 3.12 m (10.23 ft). Chambers: 1. Chamber Pressure: 23.90 bar. Thrust to Weight Ratio: 58.62. Country: Russia. Status: Out of Production. First Flight: 1953.

Final extrapolation of the V-2 rocket engine in Russia. Designer at OKB-456 was V A Vitkin. Glushko states 'thus ended the German page' of German engine technology in the USSR (this ignores the fact that the German ED-140 design provided the basis for the entire next generation of Soviet rocket engines). The engine introduced automatic thrust regulation in flight, a feature first advocated by Groettrup's German team for the G-1 engine.

Engine Model: RD-103M. Manufacturer Name: RD-103M. Government Designation: 8D52M. Designer: Glushko. Developed in: 1950-55. Application: R-5M 8K51. Propellants: Lox/Alcohol. Thrust(vac): 500.100 kN (112,427 lbf). Thrust(sl): 432.000 kN (97,117 lbf). Isp: 248 sec. Isp (sea level): 220 sec. Burn time: 120 sec. Mass Engine: 867 kg (1,911 lb). Diameter: 1.65 m (5.41 ft). Length: 3.22 m (10.57 ft). Chambers: 1. Chamber Pressure: 23.90 bar. Oxidizer to Fuel Ratio: 1.44. Thrust to Weight Ratio: 58.82. Country: Russia. First Flight: 1953. Last Flight: 1983. Flown: 134.

Engine Model: RD-103RD. Manufacturer Name: RD-103RD. Designer: Glushko. Developed in: 1954-56. Application: M5RD. Propellants: Lox/Alcohol. Chambers: 1. Country: Russia. Status: Out of Production.

RD-103 used on Rocket Stages
Bibliography:

  • Kudryavtseva, V M, ed., Zhidkostnikh Raketnikh Dvigatley, Visshaya Shkola, Moscow, 1993.
  • Russian Space Industry, Federation of American Scentists Web Pages, 1998 via Dietrich Haeseler. Web Address when accessed: http://www.fas.org/spp/civil/russia/.
  • Glushko, V P, Albom Konstruktsiy ZhRD, Vol. 1 1968, Vol. 3 & 4 1969 via Dietrich Haeseler.
  • Rakhmanin, V F, Odnazhdy i Navsegda, NPO Energomash, Moscow 1998 via Dietrich Haeseler.
  • Michels, Juergen and Przybilski, Olaf, Peenemuende und seine Erben in Ost und West, Bernard & Graefe, Bonn, 1997.
Contact us with any corrections, additions, or comments.
Conditions for use of drawings, pictures, or other materials from this site..
To contact astronauts or cosmonauts.

© Mark Wade, 1997 - 2008 except where otherwise noted.