Rocketdyne's J-2 was America's largest production liquid hydrogen fueled rocket engine before the Space Shuttle main engines (SSME), and is being revived in support of NASA's return to the Moon.
The J-2 was a major component of the Saturn V rocket. Five J-2 engines were used on the S-II, the second stage of the Saturn V. One J-2 engine was used on the S-IVB, the third stage of the Saturn V, and the second stage of the Saturn IB. There were propos...
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Rocketdyne's J-2 was America's largest production liquid hydrogen fueled rocket engine before the Space Shuttle main engines (SSME), and is being revived in support of NASA's return to the Moon.
The J-2 was a major component of the Saturn V rocket. Five J-2 engines were used on the S-II, the second stage of the Saturn V. One J-2 engine was used on the S-IVB, the third stage of the Saturn V, and the second stage of the Saturn IB. There were proposals to use various numbers of J-2 engines in the upper stages of the planned Nova rocket.
A unique characteristic of the J-2 engine (at the time) was its ability to re-start after shutdown. The J-2 engine on the S-IVB was intended to burn twice. The first burn, lasting for about two minutes, placed the Apollo spacecraft into earth orbit, and then shut down. After the crew members verified that the spacecraft was operating nominally, the J-2 was re-ignited for translunar injection. This 6.5 minute burn accelerated the Apollo spacecraft to...
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