The deal between Energomash (part of RSC Energia) and Orbital Sciences Corporation for the supply of Russian RD-181 engines to be used on a new version of the Antares rocket has been signed. Following the recent Antares 130 launch failure and separate engine test failures in which an engine faults were implicated as the cause, Orbital Sciences Corporation has decided to end using a pair of refurbished Soviet-era NK-33 engines (refurbished to AJ-26 standard by Aeroject Rocketdyne) on the Antares first stage and use a pair of the newly built LOx/Kerosene buring RD-181 engines instead. In the deal Energomash will supply 20 engines with a further 40 as options, with the deal worth US$1 billion if these options are exercised according to Russian press sources. However, Orbital Sciences Corporation, while not willing to divulge the exact detail of the contract, note that this amount will be less than US$1 billion even if all options are included. The first pair of engines will be delivered before June 2015.
