"designed to carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space."
Design, construction, and operation of rockets used to launch spacecraft into orbit.
Rocket Propulsion: Understanding the principles of rocket propulsion is fundamental to understanding how launch vehicles work. Topics include types of rocket engines, combustion processes, exhaust velocity, and specific impulse.
Orbital Mechanics: Rockets must be launched with the correct velocity and trajectory to reach the desired destination in space. Topics include celestial mechanics, Kepler's laws, and spacecraft trajectories.
Structural Engineering: Launch vehicles must be designed to withstand the stresses of launch and the harsh environment of space. Topics include materials science, stress analysis, and structural design.
Aerodynamics: Launch vehicles must be designed to be as aerodynamically efficient as possible to reduce drag during launch. Topics include fluid mechanics, drag and lift forces, and hypersonic flow.
Guidance, Navigation, and Control: Launch vehicles must be guided to their destination and controlled throughout their mission. Topics include guidance systems, attitude control, and avionics.
Power and Electrical Systems: Launch vehicles rely on complex power and electrical systems to operate. Topics include electrical distribution systems, batteries, and solar panels.
Life Support Systems: For manned spacecraft, life support systems are essential to keep the crew alive and healthy during the mission. Topics include air and water recycling systems, food and waste management, and environmental control.
Payload Integration: Launch vehicles often carry a variety of payloads, including satellites, scientific instruments, and human passengers. Topics include payload integration, launch vehicle interfaces, and payload deployment mechanisms.
Launch Site Operations: Launch vehicles require specialized facilities and infrastructure to be launched safely. Topics include launch site operations, ground support equipment, and launch vehicle processing.
Launch Vehicle Safety: Launching rockets is inherently dangerous, and launch vehicle safety is critical to ensuring that missions are successful without injury or loss of life. Topics include launch vehicle safety systems, explosive handling procedures, and emergency response planning.
Orbital Rockets: These are launch vehicles that are designed to carry payloads into Earth's orbit.
Suborbital Rockets: These are rockets that travel at speeds high enough to reach space, but not enough to stay in orbit.
Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles (ICBMs): These rockets are designed to deliver nuclear payloads anywhere in the world.
Spaceplanes: These are a type of spacecraft that are launched vertically like a rocket, but then glide back to Earth like a plane.
Single-Stage Rockets: These are launch vehicles that use a single rocket stage to reach space.
Multi-Stage Rockets: These are launch vehicles that use multiple rocket stages to reach space.
Reusable Rockets: These are launch vehicles that are designed to be reused for multiple missions, which can make spaceflight more affordable.
Vertical Launch Systems: These are launch systems that use a vertical launch platform to launch the rocket.
Horizontal Launch Systems: These are launch systems that use a horizontal launch platform to launch the rocket.
Air-Launched Vehicles: These are rockets that are launched from an airplane, which reduces the launch costs and makes the launch more flexible.
Sea-Launched Vehicles: These are rockets that are launched from a ship or a submarine.
Solid Rocket Boosters: These are rockets that are used as auxiliary engines to provide additional thrust during the initial launch of a rocket.
Liquid Rocket Engines: These are engines that use liquid propellants to provide the thrust needed to lift off the ground.
Hybrid Rocket Engines: These are engines that use a combination of solid and liquid propellants.
Electric Propulsion Engines: These are engines that use electric power to generate thrust, which can be used for ion drives, plasma engines, or electrospray thrusters.
Nuclear Propulsion Engines: These are engines that use nuclear reactions to generate thrust, which could be used for long-duration space missions.
Propellant-less Propulsion Technologies: These are propulsion technologies that do not need any propellant for generating thrust. They include solar sails, magnetic sails, and laser propulsion systems.
"The most common form is the ballistic missile-shaped multistage rocket, but the term is more general and also encompasses vehicles like the Space Shuttle."
"Most launch vehicles operate from a launch pad, supported by a launch control center and systems such as vehicle assembly and fueling."
"Launch vehicles are engineered with advanced aerodynamics and technologies, which contribute to high operating costs."
"An orbital launch vehicle must lift its payload at least to the boundary of space, approximately 150 km (93 mi)."
"accelerate it to a horizontal velocity of at least 7,814 m/s (17,480 mph)."
"Suborbital vehicles launch their payloads to lower velocity or are launched at elevation angles greater than horizontal."
"Practical orbital launch vehicles use chemical propellants such as solid fuel, liquid hydrogen, kerosene, liquid oxygen, or hypergolic propellants."
"Launch vehicles are classified by their orbital payload capacity, ranging from small-, medium-, heavy- to super-heavy lift."
"supported by a launch control center and systems such as vehicle assembly and fueling."
"Launch vehicles are engineered with advanced aerodynamics and technologies..."
"An orbital launch vehicle must lift its payload at least to the boundary of space, approximately 150 km (93 mi)."
"launch their payloads to lower velocity or are launched at elevation angles greater than horizontal."
"chemical propellants such as solid fuel, liquid hydrogen, kerosene, liquid oxygen, or hypergolic propellants."
"contribute to high operating costs."
"accelerate it to a horizontal velocity of at least 7,814 m/s (17,480 mph)."
"carry a payload (a crewed spacecraft or satellites) from Earth's surface or lower atmosphere to outer space."
"the term is more general and also encompasses vehicles like the Space Shuttle."
"operated from a launch pad, supported by a launch control center and systems such as vehicle assembly and fueling."
"ranging from small-, medium-, heavy- to super-heavy lift."