Star/TE-M

Solid Rocket Motor

The Star, or TE-M, series of solid-fueled rocket motors were developed by Thiokol and used on a large variety of launch vehicles, upper stages, satellites, probes and spacecraft. The number following the Star name indicates the motors diameter in inches.

Star motors are used as apogee kick motors, orbital insertion motors, propulsion units and on upper stages. They flew on Atlas, Delta, N-II, Titan, Conestoga, ALV, Sandia Strypi IV, Minotaur and Shuttle. Upper stages using the motor are Altair, Antares, Burner, ISS, PTS, OIS, SGS and PAM.

Pioneers 10 & 11 and Voyagers 1 & 2 used the Star-37E as propulsion unit, and Mars Pathfinder decended on Star-5 retrorockets. Ulysses, New Horizons, Magellan and Parker Solar Probe reached escape velocity with Star-48 motors. The Gemini spacecraft reentered using TE-M-385 Star-13E retrorockets in its Retro module.

Atlas Rocket Family
The Atlas rockets were a Convair development of the SM-65 Atlas missile, which was first tested on December 17, 1957. Having no inherent structural stability, the core sustainer stage needed to be pressurized when vertical.
Thor-Delta Rocket Family
The Thor-Delta family of rockets first launched in 1958 and lofted a multitude of satellites, space probes and spacecraft. It evolved from the PGM-17 Thor IRBM booster into the Delta IV Heavy launch vehicle.
Scout Rocket Family
Designed in 1957 at NACA's Langley Research Center and contracted to Vought, later LTV, the first Solid Controlled Orbital Utility Test system, or Scout, flew on April 18, 1960.
Titan Rocket Family
Voted Most Patchy of all rocket families, the first ICBM based, Martin built Titan-2 vehicle launched the Gemini 1 test capsule on April 8, 1964.
Voyager
Two probes within NASA's Mariner program, headed for Jupiter and Saturn, evolved into the Voyager probes. Like Pioneers 10 & 11 they were powered by a Star-37E solid rocket motor, which would propel them beyond the solar heliopause.
Minotaur Rocket Family
The Minotaur (and Taurus) rocket family, derived from refurbished Minuteman II and Peacekeeper ICBMs, was produced by the Orbital Sciences Corporation.
Selected Star / TE-M Motors
  • Star-5 - TE-M-500: Pathfinder retrorockets
  • Star-12 - TE-M-263: Biosat retrorocket
  • Star-13 - TE-M-458: Explorers 33 & 35 (IMP D & E)
  • Star-13A - TE-M-516: flown on Burner-2 and Atlas-F OV1
  • Star-13E - TE-M-385: Gemini retrorocket motors
  • Star-17 - TE-M-479: Explorer 38 & 49 (RAE A & B)
  • Star-17A - TE-M-521-5: flown on Atlas-F and Explorer 43, 47 & 50 (IMP H-J)
  • Star-20 - TE-M-640-1: 27.4KS-6016 on Altair-3A flown on Atlas-E and Scout
  • Star-24 - TE-M-604: Delta-XXX1 designation, also flown on LAGEOS-1, Explorer 57 (IUE) and Pioneer Venus Orbiter
  • Star-26B - TE-M-442-1: Burner 2A upper stage
  • Star-27 - TE-M-616: flown on OIS, GOES and GPS (Navstar)
  • Star-27H - TE-M-1157: IBEX (SMEX 10) launched on Pegasus
  • Star-30BP - TE-M-700-20: CONTOUR (Discovery 6)
  • Star-31 - TE-M-762: Antares-3A motor
  • Star-37 - TE-M-364: Surveyor probes retrorocket
  • Star-37B - TE-M-364-2: Burner-2 & 2A first stage
  • Star-37D - TE-M-364-3: Delta-XXX3 designation, also flown on Delta-J and Delta-M/M6
  • Star-37E - TE-M-364-4: Delta-XXX4 designation, also flown on PTS, SGS-1, Atlas-Centaur-D/D1A, N-2, Titan-3E-Centaur-D1T, Pioneer 10 & 11 and Voyager 1 & 2
  • Star-37F - TE-M-364-19: Delta-XXX6 designation
  • Star-37N - TE-M-364-14: flown on N-1
  • Star-37S - TE-M-364-15: ISS stage motor
  • Star-37XE - TE-M-714-4: ISS pre-stage
  • Star-37XFP - TE-M-714-17/18: ISS stage motor and GPS-2 & 2A
  • Star-37FM - TE-M-783: flown on Minotaur-5, Clementine-1, GPS-2R & 2RM
  • Star-37FMV - TE-M-1139: Vectoring nozzle, flown on Minotaur-5 and ALV
  • Star-48B Short - TE-M-711-17: Delta-XXX5 designation, also flown on SGS-2, PAM-D, PAM-S (Ulysses), Magellan, LDSD and New Horizons
  • Star-48BV - TE-M-940-1: Vectoring nozzle, flown on Minotaur-4+, Minotaur-5, Conestoga-1620 and Parker Solar Probe
  • Star-63D - TU-936: PAM-D2 motor
Wikipedia (en)
Norbert Brügge, Spacerockets (de/en)
Gunter D. Krebs, Gunther's Space Page (en)
Mark Wade, Astronautix (en)
USA
Thiokol
Orbital ATK
Northrop Grumman
Pioneer Program
Scout & San Marco
Project Gemini
Mariner, Viking & Voyager
Large Strategic Missions
Discovery Program
Altair
Antares
Burner & ISS
KS & DS
PAM
PTS, OIS & SGS
TU