A Russian rocket manufacturer says its contract with U.S. Orbital Sciences is worth about $1 billion.
Russia’s state-controlled Energiya said in Friday’s statement that the deal with its subsidiary, Energomash, envisages the delivery of 60 RD-181 engines, the first pair of which is to be shipped in June.
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Energiya said the contract is worth about $1 billion but the precise sum is a commercial secret. Virginia-based Orbital insisted last month the deal was worth “significantly below” $1 billion.
The engines should replace another type of engines involved in a faulty launch of Orbital’s unmanned Antares supply ship, which exploded in October moments after liftoff to the International Space Station. A probe pointed at Antares’ AJ26 engines, which were built in the Soviet Union and later modified.
Filed Under: Aerospace + defense