Scientists at Los Alamos National Laboratory recently flight tested a new solid-fuel rocket motor design at the Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center’s Socorro launch site. By separating the the fuel from the oxidizer, it adds a higher level of safety to conventional designs. This enabled the use of higher-energy propellants. The new rocket design was tested against conventional, high-energy commercial rockets to enable a comparison of data gathered on velocity, altitude, burn rate, and other parameters. Credit: Los Alamos National Lab