Consider the following statements 1. Aluminium powder is used as a solid fuel for rocket engines. 2. Compared to liquid fuel propelled rocket engines, the thrust per amount of fuel burned is higher in solid fuel propelled rocket engines. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

Statement 1 is correct as aluminium powder is a standard fuel component in solid rocket propellants, often embedded in a polymer binder like hydroxyl-terminated polybutadiene (HTPB) to increase energy density. It is widely used in solid rocket boosters for orbital launch vehicles. Statement 2 is incorrect because liquid fuel engines generally offer higher efficiency, measured as specific impulse (thrust per amount of fuel burned per second), compared to solid fuel engines. While solid rockets are valued for their simplicity and high thrust-to-weight ratio, their performance in terms of thrust per mass of propellant is considerably lower than that of liquid-fueled rockets. Therefore, while solid rockets provide high absolute thrust for initial lift-off, they are less fuel-efficient than their liquid counterparts.