May 8, 2020 | Defense | Aerospace

First Restartable Rocket Motor

Aerospace INSIDER

Restartable Rocket Image — Renderings of the ERIS rocket in a closed firing position (top) and open stopped position (bottom).

Los Alamos researchers developed the first-ever restartable motor for solid rockets. They demonstrated restarting the motor at least six times in succession. All other solid rocket motors in use are a “one and done” scenario for maneuvering in space.

Solid rockets are an attractive choice because they are simple, low-cost, and scalable but are limited to one burn of fixed impulse for maneuvering. The new multi-burn solid rocket system is coupled with a re-usable ignition system.