Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

  • Policy Issues
    • Fact Sheets
    • Countries
    • Nuclear Weapons
    • Non-Proliferation
    • Nuclear Security
    • Biological & Chemical Weapons
    • Defense Spending
    • Missile Defense
    • No First Use
  • Nukes of Hazard
    • Podcast
    • Blog
      • Next Up In Arms Control
    • Videos
  • Join Us
  • Press
  • About
    • Staff
    • Boards & Experts
    • Jobs & Internships
    • Financials and Annual Reports
    • Contact Us
  • Donate
  • Search
You are here: Home / Press Room / How Do Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles Work?

November 30, 2017

How Do Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles Work?

Senior Science Fellow Phil Coyle was quoted in LiveScience explaining the science behind ICBMs:

At takeoff, the ICBM enters the boost phase. During this phase, the rockets send the ICBM into the air, pushing it upward for about 2 to 5 minutes, until it reaches space, Coyle said. ICBMs can have up to three rocket stages. Each one is discarded (or ejected) after it burns out. In other words, after the first stage stops burning, rocket No. 2 takes over, and so on.

Moreover, these rockets can have liquid or solid propellant. Liquid propellants “generally burn longer in the boost phase than solid-propellant rockets [do],” Coyle said. In contrast, solid propellants “provide their energy in a shorter amount of time and burn faster.”

Liquid and solid propellants can send rockets equally far, “but most countries start out with liquid propellant technology because it’s well understood,” Coyle said. “[As] they graduate, they move to solid propellant to get the faster burn times. It also avoids the hazards of dealing with dangerous liquids that are both flammable and toxic.” Read more

Posted in: Center in the News, Press Room

Tweets by Nukes of Hazard

Recent Posts

  • Thwarting nuclear terrorism through data-sharing June 6, 2023
  • A book, nuclear weapons, means and ends May 31, 2023
  • Wie Japan das G7-Treffen für die nukleare Abrüstung nutzen will May 19, 2023
  • Fact Sheet: Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty (FMCT) May 19, 2023
  • Biden is going to Hiroshima at a moment when nuclear tensions are on the rise May 15, 2023
Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation

820 1st Street NE, Suite LL-180
Washington, D.C. 20002
Phone: 202.546.0795

Issues

  • Fact Sheets
  • Countries
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Non-Proliferation
  • Nuclear Security
  • Defense Spending
  • Biological and Chemical Weapons
  • Missile Defense
  • No First Use

Countries

  • China
  • France
  • India and Pakistan
  • Iran
  • Israel
  • North Korea
  • Russia
  • United Kingdom

Explore

  • Nukes of Hazard blog
  • Nukes of Hazard podcast
  • Nukes of Hazard videos
  • Front and Center
  • Fact Sheets

About

  • About
  • Meet the Staff
  • Boards & Experts
  • Press
  • Jobs & Internships
  • Financials and Annual Reports
  • Contact Us
  • Council for a Livable World
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Instagram
  • Facebook

© 2023 Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation
Privacy Policy

Charity Navigator GuideStar Seal of Transparency