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Adapter (rocketry)

9/3/2026

Adapter (rocketry)

In rocketry, an adapter is a hollow cylindrical or conical segment which provides a sound aerodynamic and structural connection, either between rocket stages (often referred to as an interstage) or between a spacecraft and the top rocket stage (referred to as a payload adapter). It may shroud and protect vulnerable systems such as electrics or machinery of rocket engines/spacecraft from weather or

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In rocketry, an adapter is a hollow cylindrical or conical segment which provides a sound aerodynamic and structural connection, either between rocket stages (often referred to as an interstage) or between a spacecraft and the top rocket stage (referred to as a payload adapter). It may shroud and protect vulnerable systems such as electrics or machinery of rocket engines/spacecraft from weather or vibrations caused by running engines. It is discarded during staging. Examples of rocket stages featuring an interstage adapter:

Centaur (second stage of several Atlas-based launch vehicles, from Atlas-Centaur to Atlas V). S-II and S-IVB (second and third stage of the Saturn V). The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (ICPS) of SLS Block 1 is connected to the Core Stage with the Launch Vehicle Stage Adapter (LVSA). Examples of rocket stages featuring a payload adapter:

(Planned) The Exploration Upper Stage (EUS) of SLS Block 1B/2 is expected to connect large secondary co-manifested payloads using the Universal Stage Adapter (USA).

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This article is an automated import of the Wikipedia article "Adapter (rocketry)", available at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adapter_(rocketry) . Text is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.