Space Shuttle four-segment solid rocket motor
Historic Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor baseline: a human-rated solid motor built from four propellant-loaded steel case segments. NASA's technical history records approximately 1.1 million lb of composite solid propellant per assembled motor, a 126-ft length, 12-ft diameter, about 2 minutes of burn, and two motors providing 6.6 million lbf at Shuttle lift-off (80% of lift-off thrust). The baseline SRM flew on the first seven Shuttle missions (1981–1983); later high-performance and five-segment designs are distinct configurations.
Identity
- Domains
- spaceflight
- Identity Level
- model
- Kind
- solid-rocket-motor
- Name
- Space Shuttle four-segment solid rocket motor
- Status
- retired
Details
- Description
- Historic Space Shuttle Reusable Solid Rocket Motor baseline: a human-rated solid motor built from four propellant-loaded steel case segments. NASA's technical history records approximately 1.1 million lb of composite solid propellant per assembled motor, a 126-ft length, 12-ft diameter, about 2 minutes of burn, and two motors providing 6.6 million lbf at Shuttle lift-off (80% of lift-off thrust). The baseline SRM flew on the first seven Shuttle missions (1981–1983); later high-performance and five-segment designs are distinct configurations.
- Developers
- Length M
- 38.4048
- Manufacturers
- Propellants
- aluminum powderammonium perchlorateiron oxideepoxy curing agentpolymer binder
- Rocket Specs
- Burn Time S
- 120
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- July 29, 2026 at 10:25:22 UTC
- Updated Time
- August 22, 2026 at 06:09:00 UTC
- Image
- Download
Other
- Diameter M
- 3.6576
- Sources
- Accessed Date
- 2026-07-29
- Publisher
- NASA Technical Reports Server
- Title
- Reusable Solid Rocket Motor—Accomplishments, Lessons, and a Culture of Success
- Accessed Date
- 2026-07-29
- Publisher
- NASA
- Title
- SLS Solid Rocket Booster
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-15
- Note
- NASA's RSRM history identifies the Shuttle motor as four propellant-loaded steel case segments containing an aluminum/ammonium-perchlorate composite propellant mixture, approximately 1.1 million lb of propellant, 126 ft length, 12 ft diameter, roughly 2 minutes burn, and 6.6 million lbf from the pair at lift-off; it distinguishes later HPM and five-segment designs.
- Publisher
- NASA Technical Reports Server
- Title
- Reusable Solid Rocket Motor—Accomplishments, Lessons, and a Culture of Success