Overview of the US Rocket Propulsion Industry

Overview of United States Space Propulsion Technology and Associated Space Transportation Systems Robert L. Sackheim∗ NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 35812 DOI: 10. 2514/1. 23257 The space propulsion industry and, indeed, the overall... More

Overview of United States Space Propulsion Technology and Associated Space Transportation Systems Robert L. Sackheim∗ NASA Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville, Alabama 35812 DOI: 10. 2514/1. 23257 The space propulsion industry and, indeed, the overall space transportation industry in the United States have been in decline since the first human landing on the moon in 1969. The hoped-for reversal to this decline through the space shuttle and space station programs never really materialized. From an 80% market share in the late 1970s, the U. S. share of the world launch market fell to 20% by 2002. During that period, only two new booster engines have been developed and flight certified in this country. Only limited progress has been made in reducing engine costs or increasing performance although these factors are not necessarily directly related. Upper-stage and in-space propulsion in the United States have not fared much better in the world market. On the other hand, space-far Less