Melanie is a French solid rocket motor, 16 cm in diameter.
The Star 27 is a solid rocket motor for the upper stages of rockets.
The third stage was a Waxwing solid rocket motor, which burned for 55 seconds.
"There's little reason why we must wait until the next decade to bring competition to the solid rocket motors," he said.
The first and second stages, along with the solid rocket motors, were stacked on October 9, 2011 near the launch pad.
Once the mission was complete, the spacecraft would have been deorbited by means of five solid rocket motors.
On launch the missile is ejected from the tube by a solid rocket motor.
It is difficult to stop a solid rocket motor before normal burnout.
In the 13th century, the solid rocket motor was invented in China.
And there are still those scientists who say a new generation of solid rocket motor is needed.