RD-701: A Rocket Engine Too Beautiful For This World

Video Description

There is a mythical engine, built in the dying days of the Soviet Union that would have revolutionized spaceflight, had it been fitted to a working orbiter. It is said it broke records that stood for almost 30 years. Problem is, the RD-701 never actually broke any records, because it never existed. You may have found this video through my previous video about a tripropellant engine. The RD-701 would have been similar in name only: it was an entirely different concept for an entirely different use case. 3D Modelling by Artem Tatarchenko: https://www.instagram.com/artem.iskustvo/ https://www.youtube.com/@Artem.Kak.Art./videos The most important source for this video, ie the paper from NPo Energomash can be found on page 154 here. Please cite this instead of this video is you’re updating wikipedia: https://disk.yandex.ru/d/tUt_gV8nQVFD2w Sources here: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fi/henayrt90li3qkf2vvcnx/rd-701-sources.xlsx?rlkey=xbqksgfdmxti26of2zeiwro7d&st=7w7r5ypt&dl=0 Additional info, along with the AN225 3D model from the excellent buran.ru Source and story for the newly discovered AN225/Buran photos: https://www.facebook.com/vadim.lukashevich.7/posts/pfbid025qkAVWo94WskGaKYMWeJ2UCSE7HnDFTsLVwax76gikyDYc5Zmr5KjcYjXvbENFGcl?rdid=jMN0k4BwwzPQ3OY9# Video sources available here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLI2UlFg4eJTFU38RfqGa_i4ezSVVCQbch Intro music: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1hLfpocRPg 00:00 FIRE SALE!!! 01:49 Intro 04:48 Specific impulse: a recap 14:24 Launch System Architecture 18:47 'The Big Plane' 21:43 RD-701: Engine Architecture 32:37 Why I know it Never Existed 41:47 Air Launch Feasibility 58:38 Legacy