A rocket engine powered by a solid mixture of fuel and oxidizer. Because the propellant is cast into a solid grain, these motors are highly reliable, can be stored for long periods, and provide massive thrust at liftoff. Once ignited, they cannot be throttled or shut down until the fuel is completely exhausted.
We need to inspect the casing on the starboard solid rocket before stacking the core.
Engineers usually call these motors rather than engines because they lack moving pumps and valves.
Also heard as
- solid rocket motor
- SRM
- solid
Related terms
SRB
A solid rocket booster used to provide heavy initial thrust during a launch.
Grain
The solid mass of propellant cast inside a solid rocket motor.
Launch vehicle
A rocket or other system used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into space.
Chemical rocket
A propulsion system that generates thrust through the exothermic reaction of chemical propellants.