Space laucher

The Space Shuttle Solid Rocket Boosters (SRBs) are the pair of large solid rockets used by the space shuttle during the first two minutes of powered flight. Together they provide about 83% of liftoff thrust for the Space Shuttle. They are located on either side of the orange external propellant tank. Each SRB produces 80% more liftoff thrust than one F-1 engine, the most powerful single-chamber liquid-fueled rocket engine ever flown — 5 of which powered the Saturn V "moon rocket's" first stage. The SRBs are the largest solid-fuel rocket motors ever flown, and the first to be used for primary propulsion on human spaceflight missions.^[1] The spent SRBs are recovered from the ocean, refurbished, reloaded with propellant, and reused for several missions. The prime contractor for the SRBs and the manufacturer of the vital solid fuel rocket segments is the Thiokol Corporation of Brigham City, Utah.

SRB casings are recovered and reused many times. In one recent example, an SRB stiffener (lower) segment from STS-1 -- which over a 30 year period flew 6 times plus one ground test -- was used in 2009 as part of the Ares I DM-1 test SRB.^[2] Collectively, the Ares 1 DM-1 included SRB segments from 48 different Shuttle flights and 5 ground tests.^[3]