Replacing the $38m RL-10

The RL-10 is an old and expensive engine and should be replaced with a less expensive, better performing modern engine. Two of them ($76m+) are used in the Centaur upper stage used by NASA.

...it appears that lack of support and interest from NASA and the US Government is the primary reason why Pratt and Whitney stopped perusing the RL-60.  NASA and the US Air Force are the primary customers for the upper stage engines made by Pratt and Whitney, and the government seems to be uninterested in supporting the development of a new engine and perfectly happy continuing to use the old and expensive RL-10.



Why should they care? It's not their money. This is one reason an organization like NASA is not the way to go to form a space faring civilization. The incentives are all wrong.

Possible replacements mention in the article: RL-60, Raptor, Chase-10 ($3m ea.)