Photo: Roscosmos
The series-produced RD-107A/RD-108A rocket engines made by Samara-based company of United Engine Corporation ensured successful start of the Soyuz MS-25 manned spacecraft with the crew of Expedition 21 to the International Space Station.
On March 23 at 15:36 Moscow time, the Soyuz-2.1a space rocket with the Soyuz MS-26 manned crew transfer vehicle has been launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome. The RD-107A/RD-108A first-stage and second-stage sustainer engines made by UEC-Kuznetsov worked properly.
“The RD-107A/RD-108A modifications, which are currently used, differ from base engines in their upgraded combustion chambers with high output performance and are most advanced and reliable.
The rocket engine manufacturing technology has been worked out to the last detail throughout the cycle – from blank production to finished product testing. It is this that provides the unique statistical reliability of engines – 99.9%. To this date, 1992 launches of spacecraft with UEC-Kuznetsov’s RD-107A/RD-108A engines have been made,” said UEC’s representatives.
Soyuz MS-26 crew consists of the members of Expedition 21 to ISS – Roscosmos cosmonaut Oleg Novitsky, Belarusian Marina Vasilevskaya and NASA’s Tracy Dyson, a member of long-duration Expedition 71.
