Launch vehicles often need more thrust to escape the lower atmosphere than their core engines can provide. Engineers attach solid or liquid-fueled rockets to the sides of the first stage to increase payload capacity. These boosters burn out and are jettisoned early in the ascent, reducing the dead weight the core stage must carry into orbit.
The telemetry shows a slight pressure drop in the right strap-on, but it's still within launch parameters.
Also heard as
- strap-on booster
- SRB
Related terms
SRB
A solid rocket booster used to provide heavy initial thrust during a launch.
Launch vehicle
A rocket or other system used to carry a payload from the Earth's surface into space.
Multistage
A multistage vehicle uses two or more distinct rocket sections that fire and discard sequentially.
Liftoff
The exact moment a rocket or aircraft breaks physical contact with the ground.