Rocket Stage
Rocket Stage
a detachable portion of a multistage rocket whose engine provides acceleration for the rocket over a certain portion of the flight trajectory. A rocket stage constitutes a single-stage rocket for which the remaining part of the multistage rocket—the subsequent stages and the nose section—represents the payload. A rocket stage consists of rocket engines, a load-carrying structure, fuel tanks, fuel-feed systems, guidance systems (if present), and stage-separation mechanisms. After the fuel has been consumed and engine operation has been stopped, the rocket stage separates from the multistage rocket.