Energia Booster

11K25

Mission Profile

Energia Booster was the strap-on liquid propellant booster unit that formed the core structural element of the Soviet Energia super-heavy-lift rocket, used both as part of the full Energia vehicle and studied independently as a potential launch vehicle in its own right. Standing 38.9 meters tall with a liftoff mass of approximately 371,000 kg and generating 7,550 kN of thrust from its single RD-170 engine, the booster represented one of the most powerful single-engine rocket stages ever built. Flying for the first time as part of the Energia Polyus mission in May 1987, the RD-170-powered boosters demonstrated exceptional performance, and the RD-171 derivative of this engine went on to power the Ukrainian Zenit rocket family.