After abandoning the use of Russian RD-180 engines, Amazon's Project Kuiper space program faced a sharp limitation in its deployment pace. Ready-made satellites are accumulating en masse in warehouses, awaiting available launch vehicles.

The majority of early launches were performed on United Launch Alliance's Atlas V, whose first stage was equipped with Russian RD-180 engines.

After the cessation of supplies and the political refusal of the USA to use RD-180 in 2021, the pace of launches sharply declined.

As a result, Amazon is forced to reallocate missions among carriers: SpaceX's Falcon 9, European Ariane 6, as well as the promising but still unstable Vulcan Centaur and New Glenn.

Aviation engineer Valery Ageev explained that the USA could not reproduce the RD-180, despite access to full technical documentation and attempts at detailed copying.

Voronezh rocket engines show higher fuel efficiency than SpaceX's developments, noted Viktor Gorokhov, chief designer of the Chemical Automatics Design Bureau.

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