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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Rockets & Spacecraft

Booster

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈbuːstər/nounCommon term

In astronomy & space, booster means: A rocket or rocket stage that gives extra thrust in the first minutes of a launch and then separates. Side boosters are attached to the outside of the main rocket.

In Turkish: yardımcı roket, itici roket, birinci kademe

How it is used

Launch teams talk about solid rocket boosters, side boosters and booster separation. In the age of reusable rockets, 'booster' often means a first stage that flies back and lands so that it can be used again.

Example sentences

  1. The two side boosters landed back at the launch site at almost the same moment.

  2. This booster has now flown more than twenty missions.

Common collocations

  • solid rocket booster
  • booster separation
  • booster landing
  • reusable booster
  • side booster
  • stageOne section of a rocket with its own engines and propellant. When a stage runs out of fuel, it separates and drops away, making the rest of the rocket lighter.
  • rocketA vehicle or engine that moves forward by pushing hot gas out of the back at high speed. Rockets are used to send satellites, probes and crews into space.
  • thrustThe pushing force a rocket or jet engine produces by throwing gas out at high speed. It is measured in newtons or kilonewtons.
  • launch vehicleA rocket designed to carry a payload from Earth's surface into space. The term covers all its stages, engines and boosters together.

This word in other fields

The same English word can have a different meaning in another field:

More terms: Rockets & Spacecraft

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