The NK-15 (GRAU index: 11D51) was a rocket engine designed and built in the late 1960s by the Kuznetsov Design Bureau. The NK designation was derived from the initials of chief designer Nikolay Kuznetsov. The NK-15 was among the most powerful LOX/kerosene rocket engines when it was built, with a high specific impulse and low structural mass. It was intended for the ill-fated Soviet N-1 Moon rocket. A unique part of this engine was its pyrotechnic valves, which could not be closed after firing.
History The engine equipped the N1 rocket - the first two launch attempts failed due to this engine. Its successor, the NK-33 was to be used on the N1F, an upgraded version of the N1, but the program was cancelled.
Versions NK-15V (GRAU index: 11D52): modified NK-15 optimized for vacuum operation, used on the second stage of the N1.
See also Comparison of orbital rocket engines
References
ОАО СНТК им. Н. Д. Кузнецова Propulsion Nositel (N) -1
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