Õnnetus juhtus Atlandi ookeani kohal Florida ranniku lähedal. Katastroofi põhjustas tahkekütuskiirendi sektsioonide vahelise ringtihendi purunemine. Pärast katastroofi peatati USA kosmoseprogramm enam kui kaheks ja pooleks aastaks.
NASA’s Space Launch System (SLS) solid rocket booster is based on three decades of knowledge and experience gained with the space shuttle booster, and improved with the latest technology.
The SRBs are the largest solid propellant rocket motors ever flown, and the first designed for reuse. The two SRBs provide the main thrust to lift the Space Shuttle off the launch pad to an altitude of ~150,000 feet (28 miles) and burn for 123 seconds during ascent.
The Ariane-5 solid propellant boosters were the largest solid rocket boosters ever produced in Europe. Weighing 37 tonnes each when empty, they are 31 m high and 3 m in diameter. Each booster, or EAP as they are referred to from the French Etage d'Acceleration à Poudre, can contain about 238 tonnes of propellant. Ariane-5 boosters provide 1100 tonnes of thrust, roughly 92% of the total thrust at liftoff.
