The US Senate Committee on Armed Services has approved a plan to allocate $100 million from the military budget for development of a rocket engine. According to the plan that was approved on May 22, the US should reduce its dependence on Russian producers and allow to put satellites in orbit, Reuters reports.

The matter concerns an engine, which will replace the RD-180. According to experts, the development may take five years and $1 billion, the Agency notes.

In early May, the US Court of Federal Claims obliged the United Launch Alliance Corporation (ULA), which places the Pentagon's satellites in circumterrestrial orbit, to abandon purchasing Russian-made rocket engines RD-180 produced by NPO Energomash. The Court's ruling has not touched previous contracts and procurements.

The court motivated its decision by the sanctions, which President Barack Obama had imposed against Russia, but complaints of anti-Russian politicians were not the reason for considering the situation, the reason was the claim of the Space Exploration Technologies (SpaceX) company of Elon Musk, who expects to get billions worth defense orders.

Rocket engines are supplied to the USA by JV RD-Amros located in the city of Khimki, Moscow region, which Russian founder is NPO Energomash. In the period from 1997 to 2007, RD-Amros exported more than 40 engines to the USA. In 2013-2018, RD-Amros was meant to send to the Americans from four to six engines per year, ITAR-TASS wrote. Experts estimate the cost of an RD-180 at $11-15 million.

On May 8, the US lifted the ban on supplies of Russian rocket engine RD-180 and NK-33, the RT TV channel reported with reference to representatives of Roscosmos. In response, Vice-Premier of the Russian government, Dmitry Rogozin, announced introduction of restrictions on the use of rocket engines RD-180 aimed at launching military satellites provided to the US.

"We will proceed from the reality. We will not be able to continue to supply the RD-180 engines, if they are not used for civilian purposes in the US, and will not be able to continue routine maintenance of the already supplied engines in the territory of the USA," Rogozin said on May 13.

Source: Voice of Russia