Asolid rocketbooster (SRB) is asolid propellant motor used to providethrust in spacecraft launches from initial launch through the first ascent. Many launch vehicles, including theAtlas V,[1]SLS andSpace Shuttle, have used SRBs to give launch vehicles much of the thrust required to place the vehicle into orbit.
The Space Shuttle used twoSpace Shuttle SRBs, which were the largest solid propellant motors ever built until theSpace Launch System and the first designed for recovery and reuse.[2] The propellant for each solid rocket motor on the Space Shuttle weighed approximately 500,000 kilograms.[3]
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Compared toliquid propellant rockets, thesolid-propellant motors (SRMs) have been capable of providing large amounts of thrust with a relatively simple design.[4] They provide greater thrust without significant refrigeration and insulation requirements, and produce large amounts of thrust for their size. Adding detachable SRBs to a vehicle also powered by liquid-propelled rockets known asstaging reduces the amount of liquid propellant needed and lowers the launch rig mass. Solid boosters are cheaper to design, test, and produce in the long run compared to the equivalent liquid propellant boosters.[citation needed] Reusability of components across multiple flights, as in the Shuttle assembly, also has decreased hardware costs.[5]
One example of increased performance provided by SRBs is theAriane 4 rocket. The basic 40 model with no additional boosters was capable of lifting a 4,795 lb (2,175 kg) payload togeostationary transfer orbit.[6] The 44P model with 4 solid boosters has a payload of 7,639 lb (3,465 kg) to the same orbit.[7]
Solid propellant boosters are not controllable and must generally burn until exhaustion after ignition, unlike liquid propellant orcold-gas propulsion systems. However, launch abort systems andrange safety destruct systems can attempt to cut off propellant flow by usingshaped charges.[8] As of 1986[update] estimates for SRB failure rates have ranged from 1 in 1,000 to 1 in 100,000.[9] SRB assemblies have failed suddenly and catastrophically. Nozzle blocking or deformation can lead to overpressure or a reduction in thrust, while defects in the booster's casing or stage couplings can cause the assembly to break apart by increasing aerodynamic stresses. Additional failure modes include bore choking and combustion instability.[10] Failure of anO-ring seal on theChallenger space shuttle's right solid rocket booster led to itsdisintegration shortly after liftoff.
Solid rocket motors can present a handling risk on the ground, as a fully fueled booster carries a risk of accidental ignition. Such an accident occurred in the August 2003Brazilian rocket explosion at the BrazilianCentro de Lançamento de Alcântara VLS rocket launch pad, killing 21 technicians.[11]
Some launchers use a fixed number of boosters :
Some launchers use a variable number of boosters depending on payload and target orbit :
This article incorporatespublic domain material from websites or documents of theNational Aeronautics and Space Administration.
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