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Publisher Summary This chapter explains the principles of rocketry, which are the same for solid-fuel rockets as for large liquid-fuel vehicles. It highlights the present state of the art in solid-fuel rockets and the ways in which they are designed and manufactured. The chapter discusses the use of solid-fuel rocket motors to power space carrier vehicles and presents few problems that have not already been attacked and solved in smaller rockets for military use. The chapter describes factors such as the composition of a solid propellant, the burning rate of a solid propellant, the area ratio of a solid propellant, the mass burning rate of a solid propellant, and the temperature coefficient of a solid propellant that affects the propellant's performance. Improvements in fuels and greater savings in inert parts' weight promise to increase motor performance and efficiency. The capability provided the designer of solid-fuel rockets of choosing a wide range of thrust-to-weight ratios without seriously compromising mass ratios provide solid fuel rockets with a patently important application in first stages for space applications. Simplicity and ease of ignition make them attractive for upper stage applications.