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Export restricted (ITAR), sale only to U.S. citizens and organizations. Apollo-era Marquardt R-4D Qualification Unit rocket engine designed for application as an Attitude Control, Reaction Control System (RCS) and primary propulsion thruster, measuring approximately 13.75˝ tall with a diameter of 5.5˝ at the nozzle, and the Marquardt Corporation label reading: "Engine-Rocket, Part No. T12321, Ser. No. 0001,” with the remaining fields left blank. The valves at the top are also marked with Marquardt labels, "Valve Assy-Solenoid, Oxidizer" and "Valve Assy-Solenoid, Fuel," which are both dated “2066” and stamped, “MA 67.” The engine has a rated thrust of 100 pounds, matching those used aboard Apollo spacecraft. Accompanied by a signed letter of provenance from former Marquardt Rocket Programs Operations Manager Michael Figoff, who states that he received the serial no. 0001 Qualification Unit directly from former Marquardt Director of Ordnance Programs Joe Thomositis during the closure of the company's Sun Valley facility.
Originally designed by Marquardt for use as an attitude control, reaction control, and primary propulsion thruster, the R-4D became one of the most successful and enduring rocket engines ever developed. The 100-pound-thrust engine first achieved prominence during the Apollo program, where R-4Ds were mounted in four-engine ‘quads’ on the Command/Service Module and Lunar Module to provide roll, pitch, and yaw control. The engine also served as the primary propulsion system aboard the Lunar Orbiter spacecraft before finding decades of continued service on numerous American and international satellites and spacecraft, including Leasat, Intelsat VI, INSAT-1, Italsat, BulgariaSat-1, Japan's H-II Transfer Vehicle, and the European Automated Transfer Vehicle. An exceptional and highly significant piece of Apollo-era space hardware representing the beginning of one of the longest-lived rocket engine designs in aerospace history.
