The Rocket Equation and Propellant Offloading

The impulse required for each mission can vary, depending on the spacecraft mass and the altitude, among other factors. One method of tailoring a solid rocket motor for a particular mission, like an apogee kick motor, is called propellant offloading, where the maximum propellant load isnt used. Instead, only some of the propellant is omitted, resulting in a lower starting mass of the rocket (which can improve first-stage booster performance) and a lower but exactly-calculated total impulse, which would provide exactly the delta-V required for a circularization burn.

Use MATLAB and explain method

Consider a solid-fuel kick motor with a specific impulse of 270s. The satellite and empty kick motor casing mass a combined 2200kg. If the normal propellant load is 700kg, how much deltaV is lost by only loading 500kg? How much delta-V is lost by only loading 300kg of propellant? Is the relationship linear? How do you know?