Keldysh Center flags thermal problem in Amur-SPG's methane engine
Per Anatoly Zak: Russia's Keldysh Center is working through a thermal issue in the methane engine for the reusable Amur-SPG booster.
what happened
Anatoly Zak reported via Bluesky that Russia's Keldysh Research Center, working under Roscosmos, is dealing with thermal problems in development of the methane-fueled engine for the Amur-SPG reusable booster. Zak did not state the specific nature of the thermal issue or any schedule impact in the post, pointing to further detail on his subscription site.
why it matters
Amur-SPG is Roscosmos's first attempt at a reusable, methane-fueled launch vehicle, a design class SpaceX and Blue Origin have already flown; an engine-level thermal problem at this stage is an early signal of the technical risk Russia faces in catching up on reusable methalox propulsion, for any customer weighing whether to wait for the vehicle or book capacity elsewhere.
signal-to-noise
quick facts
- Companies
- Roscosmos
- Category
- launch
- Impact
- noise
- SNR
- 4 / 5
- Event date
- 2026-10-29
- Published
- 2026-10-29 23:35 UTC