Blog
Save
Email
Print
ShareSpacecraft propulsion is used to change the velocity of spacecraft and artificial satellites, or in short, to provide delta-v.
There are many different methods.
Each method has drawbacks and advantages, and spacecraft propulsion is an active area of research.
Most spacecraft today are propelled by heating the reaction mass and allowing it to flow out the back of the vehicle.
This sort of engine is called a rocket engine.
All current spacecraft use chemical rocket (bipropellant or solid-fuel) for launch.
Artificial satellites must be launched into orbit, and once there they must be placed in their nominal orbit.
Once in the desired orbit, they often need some form of attitude control so that they are correctly pointed with respect to the Earth, the Sun, and possibly some astronomical object of interest.
For more information about the topic Spacecraft propulsion, read the full article at Wikipedia.org, or see the following related articles:
Multistage rocket — A multistage (or multi-stage) rocket is, like any rocket, propelled by the recoil pressure of the burning gases it emits as it burns fuel. What ... > read more
Rocket engine — A rocket engine is a reaction engine that can be used for spacecraft propulsion as well as terrestrial uses, such as missiles. Rocket engines take ... > read more
Ion thruster propulsion system — An ion thruster (or ion drive), one of several types of spacecraft propulsion, uses beams of ions - electrically charged atoms or molecules - for ... > read more
Solid-fuel rocket — A solid rocket or a solid fuel rocket is a rocket with a motor that uses solid propellants (fuel/oxidizer). The earliest rockets were solid fuelled, ... > read more
Rocket — The traditional definition of a rocket is a vehicle, missile or aircraft which obtains thrust by the reaction to the ejection of fast moving fluid ... > read more
Scaled Composites SpaceShipOne — The Scaled Composites Model 316 SpaceShipOne is an experimental air-launched suborbital spaceplane that uses a hybrid rocket motor. The design ... > read more
Model rocket — Model rocketry is a hobby similar to building model airplanes. In the hobby today, there are two distinct areas of rocket activity: amateur (or ... > read more
Water rocket — Water rockets are like their model rocket cousins, except that these are powered by a combination of water and air pressure instead of a chemical ... > read moreRecommend this page on Facebook, Twitter,
and Google +1:
Other bookmarking and sharing tools:
more 