An artist's concept of the RL60 engine. Credit: Pratt & Whitney

Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion this month received a main fuel (hydrogen) turbopump from Ishikawajima-Harima Heavy Industries Co. for the development of its new RL60 engine. The RL60 has 90 percent of its components complete and is expected to begin full testing in September.

The RL60 is a cryogenic upper-stage engine designed to produce 60,000 pounds of thrust with a specific impulse of 465 seconds to meet the evolving needs of expendable launch requirements or human-rated missions.

"The RL60 is truly the next generation upper-stage rocket engine," Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion and Russian Operations President Larry Knauer said. "By leveraging 40 years of expander cycle experience with the latest technology, we are able to offer a high-performing, high-flexibility engine that can fire multiple times in space."

The reception of the main fuel turbopump, which consists of a two-stage Centrifugal Pump and two-Stage Axial Flow Turbine and Ceramic ball bearings, will allow P&W to verify the performance of the component by installing it on the RL60 engine demonstrator.

Pratt & Whitney Space Propulsion, a leader in the propulsion industry, includes liquid, solid and hypersonic propulsion programs and has sites located at West Palm Beach, Fla. and San Jose, Calif. Pratt & Whitney, a United Technologies company, is a world leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines, space propulsion systems and industrial gas turbines.