Editing Solar thermal rocket (section)

{{Short description|Theoretical spacecraft propulsion system}}
A '''solar thermal rocket''' is a theoretical [[spacecraft propulsion]] system that would make use of solar power to directly heat [[reaction mass]], and therefore would not require an electrical generator, like most other forms of solar-powered propulsion do.  The rocket would only have to carry the means of capturing solar energy, such as [[Concentrating solar power|concentrator]]s and [[mirror]]s. The heated propellant would be fed through a conventional [[rocket nozzle]] to produce thrust. Its engine thrust would be directly related to the surface area of the solar collector and to the local intensity of the solar radiation.

In the shorter term, solar thermal propulsion has been proposed both for longer-life, lower-cost, more efficient use of the [[Sun]] and more-flexible cryogenic [[upper stage]] launch vehicles and for on-orbit [[propellant depot]]s.  Solar thermal propulsion is also a good candidate for use in reusable inter-orbital tugs, as it is a high-efficiency low-thrust system that can be refuelled with relative ease.