Liquid oxygen was the earliest, cheapest, safest, and eventually the preferred oxidiser for large space launchers. Its main drawback is that it is moderately cryogenic, and therefore not suitable for military uses where storage of the fuelled missile and quick launch are required. Liquefied natural gas - mainly methane,with traces of sulfur, etc.
Liquid oxygen, as normally supplied, is of 99.5 percent purity and is covered in the United States by Military Specification MIL-P-25508. High purity liquid oxygen has a light blue colour and is transparent. It has no characteristic odour. Liquid oxygen does not burn, but will support combustion vigorously. The liquid is stable; however, mixtures of fuel and liquid oxygen are shock-sensitive. Gaseous oxygen can form mixtures with fuel vapours that can be exploded by static electricity, electric spark, or flame. Liquid oxygen is obtained from air by fractional distillation. The 1959 United. States production of high-purity oxygen was estimated at nearly 2 million tonnes. The cost of liquid oxygen, at that time, ex-works, was $ 0.04 per kg. By the 1980's NASA was paying $ 0.08 per kg.
Oxidizer: Lox. Fuel: LNG. Oxidizer Density: 1.140 g/cc. Oxidizer Freezing Point: -219 deg C. Oxidizer Boiling Point: -183 deg C.
More... - Chronology...
Associated Engines
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RD-0143 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 343 kN. Vozdushnyy Start stage 2. Design concept 1998-. Proposed variant of RD-0124, replacing kerosene by liquid natural gas. Selected for stage 2 of Vozdushnyy Start project by Kompomash. Isp=372s. More...
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RD-0142 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 2353 kN. stage 2. Developed 1998-on. Proposed engine for LOX/liquid natural gas. Staged combustion cycle. Obviously variant of RD-0141 with larger nozzle. Isp=369s. More...
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RD-0229M Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 883 kN. Vozdushnyy Start stage 1. Developed 1997. Derivative of RD-0229 for the propellants LOX and liquid natural gas (methane). Initial candidate for stage 1 propulsion of Vozdushnyy Start project by Kompomash. More...
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RD-0149 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 49 kN. upper stage. Developed 1998-on. Proposed engine for LOX/liquid natural gas. Staged combustion cycle. Variant of RD-0141 with larger nozzle. Isp=370s. More...
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RD-0145 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 147 kN. upper stage. Developed 1998-on. Proposed engine for LOX/liquid natural gas. Staged combustion cycle. Four-chamber variant of RD-0144. Isp=374s. More...
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RD-0144 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 147 kN. upper stage. Developed 1998-on. Proposed engine for LOX/liquid natural gas. Staged combustion cycle. Radiation cooled nozzle extension. Isp=374s. More...
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RD-0141 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 2251 kN. stage 1. Developed 1998-on. Proposed engine for LOX/liquid natural gas. Staged combustion cycle. Obviously variant of RD-0141 with larger nozzle. Isp=353s. More...
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RD-0110MD Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 245 kN. Developed 1994-on. Prototype engine for tests with propellants LOX/liquified natural gas. Tests performed from 30 April 1998 on, test duration 20s. More...
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RD-0140 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 2086 kN. stage 2. Developed 1998-on. Proposed engine for LOX/liquid natural gas. Gas generator cycle with turbine gas injection into supersonic nozzle. Isp=349s. More...
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RD-0139 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 2038 kN. stage 1. Developed 1998-on. Proposed engine for LOX/liquid natural gas. Gas generator cycle with turbine gas injection into supersonic nozzle. Isp=341s. More...
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RD-0134 Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 2038 kN. stage 1. Developed 1998-on. Proposed engine for LOX/liquid natural gas. Staged combustion cycle variant of RD-0139. Isp=358s. More...
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RD-0132M Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 98 kN. Vozdushnyy Start stage 2. Design concept 1998-. Proposed variant of RD-0132, replacing hydrogen by liquid natural gas. Initially selected for stage 2 of Vozdushnyy Start project by Kompomash. More...
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RD-0143A Kosberg Lox/LNG rocket engine. 343 kN. Vozdushnyy Start stage 1. Design concept 1998-. Proposed single chamber variant of RD-0143. Selected for stage 1 of Vozdushnyy Start project by Kompomash. Isp=370s. More...
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RD-182M Glushko Lox/LNG rocket engine. 882 kN. Vozdushnyy Start stage 1. Developed 1998-. Variant of RD-182 engine for liquid natural gas (mainly CH4). Proposed initial candidate for project Vozdushnyy Start of Kompomash. More...
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RD-56M LNG Isayev Lox/LNG rocket engine. 73.5 kN. Vozdushnyy Start stage 2. Developed 1996-. Variant of RD-56M using liquid natural gas in place of hydrogen. First engine tests performed in 1998. More...
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