Rocket Engines

This chapter provides a comprehensive overview of rocket propulsion systems, encompassing both conventional and advanced technologies relevant to space launch and in-space missions. It begins with the fundamentals of chemical rocket engines, including detailed treatments of solid, liquid, and hybrid propellants, with emphasis on thermochemical properties, performance characteristics, and design trade-offs. Liquid rocket engines are examined in depth, focusing on pump-fed systems and the principal engine cycles—gas generator, staged combustion, and expander cycles—along with their operational advantages and limitations. This chapter presents a rigorous discussion of rocket turbomachinery, covering rocket pumps, multistage axial pumps, axial turbines, and their series and parallel configurations. Key pump performance parameters, materials, and fabrication processes are analyzed, supported by a case study of the Space Shuttle Main Engine (SSME) to illustrate the practical implementation of high-performance cryogenic propulsion modules. Advanced and non-chemical propulsion concepts, including nuclear thermal propulsion, electric propulsion, and solar sails, are introduced and compared in terms of efficiency, thrust levels, and mission applicability. The chapter concludes with an assessment of artificial intelligence applications in rocket engines, highlighting their role in design optimization, health monitoring, fault diagnosis, and intelligent control.