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...
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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
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