Rocketdyne S-3D
S-3D engine at the National Air and Space Museum | |
| Country of origin | United States |
|---|---|
| Manufacturer | Rocketdyne |
| Application | Booster |
| Successor | H-1 |
| Status | Retired |
| Liquid-fuel engine | |
| Propellant | LOX / RP-1 |
| Cycle | Gas Generator |
| Configuration | |
| Chamber | 1 |
| Performance | |
| Thrust, sea-level | 134908 lbf (600.1 kN) |
| Specific impulse, sea-level | 247 seconds (2.42 km/s) |
| Used in | |
| PGM-19 Jupiter, PGM-17 Thor, Juno II, Saturn A-2 | |
The Rocketdyne S-3D (Air Force designation LR79) is an American liquid rocket engine produced by Rocketdyne (a division of North American Aviation) between 1956 and 1961. It was a gas generator, pump-fed engine, using a liquid oxygen (LOX) and RP-1 (kerosene) propellant combination, capable of producing 134,908 pounds of thrust (600.1 kN) at sea level.
The S-3 was based on the Redstone engine, and is part of the LR79 family, used on the PGM-19 Jupiter and PGM-17 Thor missiles, and on the Juno II rocket.
A second stage with four S-3 engines was considered for the Saturn A-2 study.
Its design was used later as the basis for the H-1 rocket engine of the Saturn I, and the Rolls-Royce RZ.2 of the Blue Streak.