A chemical rocket produces thrust by burning a fuel and an oxidizer in a combustion chamber, creating high-pressure, high-temperature gases that are accelerated out of a nozzle. This category includes solid, liquid, and hybrid rocket motors. Because they rely entirely on the energy stored within their propellants, they offer very high thrust-to-weight ratios but relatively low specific impulse compared to electric propulsion systems.
Heard on the job
We need the high thrust of a chemical rocket to break orbit, but we'll switch to ion thrusters for the transit phase.