This is the X-405H liquid fuel rocket engine that the General Electric Company (GE) developed and built to power the second stage of NASA’s planned Vega launch vehicle. NASA conceived the three-stage Vega in October 1958 to serve as the new space agency’s first spacecraft for lunar and planetary exploration.
The X-405H produced 35,140 pounds of thrust and used kerosene and liquid oxygen for propellants. GE also designed the engine to include a start and stop capability, a technological first for rocket propulsion systems, to improve operational flexibility of the second and third stages. Cost overruns and technical delays prompted NASA to cancel the program at the end of 1959 in favor of a less complicated and more robust alternative—the Atlas-Agena launch vehicle—which flew for the first time early in 1960.
Display Status
This object is not on display at the National Air and Space Museum. It is either on loan or in storage.
Object Details
Country of Origin
United States of America
Type
PROPULSION-Rocket Engines
Manufacturer
General Electric Co.
Dimensions
Overall: 4ft 4in. x 2ft 10in., 125lb. (132.08 x 86.36cm, 56.7kg)
Materials
HAZMAT: Cadmium
Ferrous Alloy
Non-Magnetic White Metal
Anodized Aluminum
Solder
Synthetic Coating
Paint
Inventory Number
A19760050000
Credit Line
Gift of Wright Malta Corporation
Data Source
National Air and Space Museum
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