STAR 48B
STAR 48B is a titanium-case solid upper-stage motor used on Delta II and Shuttle Payload Assist Modules. The catalogue distinguishes short- and long-nozzle configurations, both with an 84.1 s burn. Their effective vacuum specific impulses are 286.0 s and 292.1 s respectively. The long nozzle has greater expansion; STAR 48BV adds nozzle steering.
Identity
- Aliases
- STAR-48BStar 48B
- Domains
- spaceflight
- Identity Level
- variant
- Kind
- solid-rocket-motor
- Name
- STAR 48B
- Status
- retired
Details
- Description
- STAR 48B is a titanium-case solid upper-stage motor used on Delta II and Shuttle Payload Assist Modules. The catalogue distinguishes short- and long-nozzle configurations, both with an 84.1 s burn. Their effective vacuum specific impulses are 286.0 s and 292.1 s respectively. The long nozzle has greater expansion; STAR 48BV adds nozzle steering.
- Family
- Manufacturers
- Propellants
- solid propellant
- Rocket Specs
- Burn Time
- …
Links
Assets & Meta
- Creation Time
- August 1, 2026 at 11:58:06 UTC
- Updated Time
- October 29, 2026 at 15:55:55 UTC
Other
- Diameter
- …
- Sources
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-01
- Note
- NASA identifies the Delta 7925H stack as XLET + nine GEM-46 motors + AJ10-118K second stage + Star 48B third stage and lists Thiokol as the Star 48B manufacturer.
- Publisher
- NASA Safety and Mission Assurance
- Title
- Delta II Data Sheet
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-01
- Note
- NASA’s Delta II characteristics table identifies the Thiokol Star 48B third-stage motor and separates it from the first-stage GEM motors and second-stage AJ10-118K engine.
- Publisher
- NASA
- Title
- NASA Historical Data Book, Volume VII
- Accessed Date
- 2026-08-01
- Note
- Provides the separate STAR 48BV variant boundary; this record does not substitute STAR 48BV for the NASA-documented Delta II Star 48B.
- Publisher
- Northrop Grumman
- Title
- Minotaur IV, V, and VI User’s Guide
- Accessed Date
- 2026-10-29
- Note
- Printed pages 95–104: exact suffix and nozzle boundaries; effective impulse differs from propellant impulse. No average thrust stored as unqualified maximum or nominal thrust.
- Publisher
- Northrop Grumman
- Title
- Propulsion Products Catalog — STAR motor series