US Too Dependent on Russian Rocket Engines, Experts Tell Lawmakers
By Elizabeth Howell, Space.com Contributor | July 17, 2014 07:00am ET
Should the Russian government yank its supply of rocket engines for United States launches, critical national-security satellite missions could be delayed up to four years, experts told a joint Senate hearing Wednesday (July 16).
United Launch Alliance's (ULA) Atlas 5 rocket is the workhorse of heavy satellite launches in the United States, but the booster requires a Russian RD-180 engine to get off the ground.
