MOSCOW, July 20. /TASS/. The US government has approved a deal to purchase Russian-made RD-181M space rocket engines produced by the Energomash Research and Production Association, Russia’s State Space Corporation Roscosmos Spokesman Vladimir Ustimenko announced on Tuesday.
"News emerged yesterday that Roscosmos had received the green light to export new RD-181M engines to the United States. The US government has approved the conclusion of a contract between Energomash (part of Roscosmos) and the US-based Orbital Sciences LLC. This paves the way for new engine deliveries and new liftoffs of American rockets with Russian ‘hearts,’" Ustimenko wrote in its Telegram channel.
The contract to purchase the Russian engines both confirms the outstanding work of the designers and engineers that create top-quality items and offers hope for the relations to normalize where "business and efficiency will play a more important role than situational decisions that have nothing to do with cosmonautics," the Roscosmos press secretary emphasized.
"So far, we can only wish Energomash success as it creates such unique ‘pieces of engine art," Ustimenko wrote.
The Russian government earlier backed the talks on a contract for the delivery of Russian-made RD-181M rocket engines produced by Energomash (within Roscosmos) to the US-based Orbital Sciences LLC. The relevant resolution signed by Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin was posted on the government’s legal information web portal.
As the document reads, the contract can be signed if the issues related the use of the results of intellectual activity obtained in the process of developing the engine are settled with Russia’s Defense Ministry and Roscosmos. The US company should also take measures to ensure the protection of Russian technologies and guarantee that American Antares carrier rockets with Russian engines are not used for the launch of military space vehicles, the document says.