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S. Hale
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How to calculate the thrust of a rocket with relativistic exhaust

The general thrust equation is force = propellant's mass per second X exhaust velocity, right? What if the propellant is highly relativistic? One gram of propellant expelled at 290,000,000 m/s should produce 290,000 N, according to the above equation. However, this doesn't take relativistic change into account.

What I want to know is how to calculate thrust when relativistic exhaust is involved.

S. Hale
  • 117
  • 1
  • 8