Questions tagged [booster]
A booster is a type of rocket used to assist in putting larger payloads into orbit. Use with the [rocket] tag any any other relevant launch vehicle tags
80 questions
7votes
5answers
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Why doesn't SpaceX use solid rocket fuel?
I am curious to why SpaceX wouldn't use more efficient solid rocket boosters instead of the liquid booster they currently have for the first stage of their Starships. At first, I thought this was due ...
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4votes
2answers
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what are some methods of side booster separation?
Through some research, I got to know about the booster separation motors (BSMs) used on the space shuttle in order to separate the solid rocket boosters (SRBs). However I did not understand if this is ...
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1vote
1answer
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Did Relativity's Terran 1 booster survive the fall to the ocean for recovery?
There is no plan to recover the booster of the Terran 1 rocket launched yesterday. Did the booster survive (not necessarily intact) the fall to the ocean and the impact with the surface of the water? ...
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4votes
1answer
150views
Would it make sense to compress air around a bell nozzle during booster ascent?
Regarding boosters having one single liquid fuel engine, such as Delta 4 for example. Would some sort of annular aerodynamic device, attached to the skirt and placed around the bell nozzle, help ...
user19132
4votes
1answer
307views
Does a RTLS (Return To Launch Site) landing deposit more soot on the booster than a drone ship landing?
First, it performs an extra burn (the boostback burn). Does this burn make a credible source of extra soot? Second, sometimes it appears to have flown through the second stage's exhaust plume. Does ...
1vote
0answers
109views
SLS Block 2: Original thrust
In older graphics depicting the evolution of the SLS vehicle, it states that the Block 2 upgrade was to produce 11.9 million lbs of thrust. At some point in the last few years, however, this has ...
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2votes
1answer
224views
Has there ever been a fully-reusable big-dumb-booster design proposed?
I know of fully expendable Big Dumb Boosters, as well as "smart" reuse in systems like NEXUS (all versions) and their contemporaries, what I'm trying to figure out (after hours of sorting ...
- 1,195
6votes
2answers
595views
Thrust to weight of large solid fuel boosters
I have been looking at examples of large solid fuel rocket boosters or first stages used for space launch, such as P80, the Space Shuttle SRB, the various versions of Graphite-Epoxy-Motor, the solid ...
30votes
2answers
5kviews
Why do the walls of a solid rocket booster not glow red hot?
After ignition the walls of the SRB are separated from the "reaction chamber" by solid rocket fuel. But as the burn progresses, more and more fuel is used up and so the isolation from the ...
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17votes
1answer
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What is the difference between the solid fuel Boosters of the Shuttle and Artemis?
The Shuttle boosters had 4 segments and Artemis has 5. What are the differences in total mass, thrust and burn time? Is the thrust profile (thrust over time) the same?
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2votes
0answers
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Atlas V booster appearance change in flight
In the livestream of the latest Atlas V 541 flight launching the GOES-T satelite I saw that the nosecones of the two visible boosters changed the appearance within a few seconds in the flight. Is this ...
10votes
1answer
500views
What are the advantages of air lit solid boosters in PSLV XL?
ISRO's PSLV-XL has 6 solid strap on boosters. In a typical flight profile 4 strap on boosters are lit on ground just before liftoff. The remaining two boosters are lift 25 seconds later in air. ...
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6votes
1answer
587views
What limits pressure buildup in SRB's?
According to st. Robert's Law, propellant burn rates increase with pressure. When an SRB is ignited, propellant starts to burn, making the pressure rise in the combustion chamber. The flow through the ...
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2votes
1answer
450views
Tradeoffs between axial burning and radial burning of solid propellant boosters?
What are the tradeoffs between axial burning and radial burning of solid propellant rocket motors? How would someone determine which to choose according to the mission requirements? In general has ...
5votes
0answers
122views
What would it take to bring VSS Unity over the Kármán line?
There's been a great deal debate about Virgin Galactic calling 50 miles "space", while most use a 100 km Kármán line definition for the term. VSS Unity has exceeded 89 km altitude on two ...
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