Star 48B s
Engine · USA
Original archive entry. The text, images and links below are kept as they were written.
Credit: Thiokol
Thiokol solid rocket engine. In Production. Short nozzle upper-stage motor qualified for the McDonnell Douglas Payload Assist Module (PAM) Space Transportation System (STS).
The basic version for STS missions contains 4430 pounds of propellant (an increase of 25 pounds over STAR 48) and has the same 72-inch overall length as the STS version of the STAR 48. The design incorporates the same high-energy propellant and high-strength case as the STAR 48. The semi-submerged nozzle uses a carbon-phenolic exit cone. Total impulse 578,461 kgf-s. Propellant mass fraction 0.942.