What’s a retro rocket?

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A retro rocket is a type of rocket motor designed to be activated when a ship or object needs to reduce its speed or stop. The term is short for retrograde rocket. The placement of a retro rocket is usually opposite to the main form of propulsion. When fired, the retrorocket will apply thrust in the opposite direction of movement, slowing the vehicle until it reaches acceptable speed or comes to a stop. There is extensive use of retrorockets in space and aerospace vehicles, including satellites and space shuttles.

One of the reasons a retrorocket is needed when maneuvering a vehicle in space is the lack of friction or gravity in space. Once push is applied to an object, it will move in a straight line through space until another force acts upon it. In theory, a satellite launched in one direction will travel indefinitely in that direction until another force, such as gravity or a physical object, stops it.

Most vehicles used in space are designed to accelerate so they can reach their goals faster, and this acceleration can continue slowly over a long period depending on the type of engine the vehicle uses. To slow down a vehicle so that it can perform tasks such as exploration or enter orbit around an astronomical body, a force must be applied in the opposite direction of travel. Launching a retro rocket is the solution to this problem. Rockets can be designed to fire in a long, slow burn that gradually slows the aircraft, or they can be fired in short, intense bursts for a quick stop.

The use of specially installed retro-rockets avoids having to perform complex maneuvers with a vehicle. Without a retrorockets system, vehicles that need to slow down or stop in space would have to fire up another set of engines to turn the craft around and face the opposite direction. Once facing rearward, it would turn on the main propulsion unit to slowly apply thrust in the opposite direction. A retrorockets system simply needs to be fired in sufficient quantities to slow the aircraft, and no complex movements are required.

Satellites and other vehicles that exist in orbit around the Earth use retrorockets to end their orbital period. By launching the retro rocket, the speed of the object is slowed down. Once it slows down, it will begin to be pulled towards the Earth and lose altitude. Earth’s gravity and atmosphere will further slow the object down until it actually enters the atmosphere and falls to the surface. This is how space shuttles reentered Earth’s atmosphere before their retirement in 2011, although their descent has always been very tightly controlled.

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