World’s Most Powerful Engine to be Digitalized in October

MOSCOW (Roscosmos PR) — NPO Energomash (part of Roscosmos) is finalizing the works to digitalize the RD-171MV rocket engine design documentation. The engine is to be used in the Soyuz-5 carrier rocket. The works to create digital design documentation have been underway since May 2019.

The enterprise design bureau created a special workgroup for the project – all the details have been modelled, large and small assemblies have been completed, the final assembly is almost over.

“We plan to finish the works in the end of September – beginning of October. Beside 3D modelling we create the fully digitalized design documentation with all the information necessary for production, control and handing over the ready products,” – says Oleg Tveriye, NPO Energomash digital technologies introduction department chief.

Digital design documentation will allow controlling the production process at all stages and effectively manage it. This will substantially cut the production period and automatize many processes from details and assembly units manufacturing to the engine assembly and firing trials.

After finishing the works with the RD-171MV engine, the company’s engineers will start digitalizing the RD-191 engine design documentation used for the Angara carrier rocket, the works on which are to be finished in the end of 2020.

RD-171MV is a modernized version of the RD-170/171 engine designed by NPO Energomash in 1976-1986. The modernized engine has already been acknowledged as the world’s most powerful – with its own weight of 10 tons its thrust is more than 800 tons.