A rocket burns fuel. The fuel makes hot gas. The engine pushes the gas out its back. That makes the rocket move forward.

A rocket's push is stronger than its weight at liftoff. The push is called thrust. So it rises off the pad.

A rocket starts off slowly. As it climbs, it goes faster and faster.

There is no air in space. The rocket carries its own oxygen. So its engine still works there.

The first known rockets were used in China. That was in the 1200s. In 1926, Robert Goddard sent up the first liquid-fuel rocket. It rose only 41 feet.

Rockets send satellites up. They go around Earth. On October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union sent up Sputnik. It was the first human-made satellite.

Sputnik sent out a radio "beep-beep" signal. People all around the world could hear it.

Yuri Gagarin was the first person in space. He was from the Soviet Union. That was in April 1961.

The Saturn V rocket stood 363 feet tall. That is taller than the Statue of Liberty.

Apollo 11 lifted off on a Saturn V rocket. That was on July 16, 1969. The astronauts were on their way to the Moon.

A Falcon 9 rocket has a first stage. As of November 2026, it can land upright after launch. So it can fly again.

Words to know

• fuel: what it burns
• thrust: the rocket's push
• satellite: goes around Earth