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Astronomy & Space vocabulary · Rockets & Spacecraft

Rocket

Meaning in astronomy & space, with examples

/ˈrɑːkɪt/nounCore term

In astronomy & space, rocket means: A 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.

In Turkish: roket

How it is used

Common verbs: build, launch, fly, fire, land and reuse a rocket. Engineers often prefer 'launch vehicle' in formal documents and say 'rocket engine' or 'rocket motor' for the part that produces thrust.

Example sentences

  1. The rocket lifted off on time and placed twenty satellites into orbit.

  2. The first stage of the rocket returned and landed on a ship at sea.

Common collocations

  • launch a rocket
  • rocket engine
  • reusable rocket
  • rocket launch
  • rocket fuel
  • launch vehicleA rocket designed to carry a payload from Earth's surface into space. The term covers all its stages, engines and boosters together.
  • boosterA 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.
  • 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.
  • thrustThe pushing force a rocket or jet engine produces by throwing gas out at high speed. It is measured in newtons or kilonewtons.
  • propellantThe fuel and the oxidiser that a rocket burns to produce thrust. Common examples are liquid hydrogen, kerosene, methane and liquid oxygen.

More terms: Rockets & Spacecraft

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