A rocket engine is one of the most complex and sophisticated pieces of technology in the world. Our access to space has been made much easier and more secure through rocket technology. But have you ever wondered what it takes to power a rocket engine? Similar to the jet engine, which uses propulsion to develop thrust, the rocket engine works the same way in this aspect. But, of course, there are some mechanical as well as electrical technicalities which make the working of the rocket engine different from that of a jet engine or a propellor. It should be noted that Newton’s third law of motion employs the propulsion of the rocket, which says, “To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Consequently, when we see the rocket taking off, we always notice a huge amount of exhaust gases released from its tail side, pushing it to go against gravity, i.e., in the opposite direction.
The video below demonstrates the process of how the rocket engines are powered:
A rapid combustion reaction is needed to boost the rocket engine to go against the earth’s gravitational field. The release of exhaust gases from the engine would be done at a very fast speed to gain enough thrust. However, this mechanism is not necessary for all rockets. Instead, we can just pressurize all the components of the rockets to a sufficient amount, which the engineers and scientists would measure, and then the ignition would do the remaining work. But this process is suitable only for the smaller rockets, not the big ones. For the big ones, the mechanism is a bit different and complicated in that every part, whether mechanical or electrical, needs detailed and special consideration in terms of fuel, performance, and design considerations.
Elon Musk, the CEO of SpaceX and Tesla, said, “If one can figure out how to effectively reuse rockets just like airplanes, the cost of access to space will be reduced by as much as a factor of a hundred. A fully reusable vehicle has never been done before. That really is the fundamental breakthrough needed to revolutionize access to space.”
Therefore, achieving fuel efficiency and optimum performance levels, along with less harm to the environment, are the backbones of rocket propulsion.
