Total Impulse – Learn with Andøya Space Education

Total impulse is an important parameter of a launch vehicle and is simply the integral of the force over time

$\displaystyle I_\text{tot} = \int^{t_\text{b}}_0 F(t) \, dt = \bar{F} \, t_\text{b},$

where $t_\text{b}$ is the burn time and $\bar{F}$ is the average force over $t_\text{b}$ . The force from the rocket motor can vary substantially with time. Usually, a larger total impulse means a physically bigger rocket, but note that it does not mean a larger force or a longer burn time. Putting more fuel and oxidizer into a rocket means increasing the total impulse.

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This article is part of a pre-course program used by Andøya Space Education in Fly a Rocket! and similar programs.