A rocket glider, also known as rocket-propelled glider, is a glider aircraft that is powered by rocket

Rocket

A rocket is a missile, spacecraft, aircraft or other vehicle which obtains thrust from a rocket engine. In all rockets, the exhaust is formed entirely from propellants carried within the rocket before use. Rocket engines work by action and reaction...

 power that glides to an unpowered landing. A boost glider is similar in that it takes off on rocket power but then jettisons the rocket parts.

A small number of manned aircraft can be classified in this way such as Opel RAK.1

Opel RAK.1

The Opel RAK.1 was the world's first purpose-built rocket-powered aircraft. It was designed and built by Julius Hatry under commission from Fritz von Opel who flew it on September 30, 1929 in front of a large crowd at Rebstock airport near Frankfurt-am-Main.During the late 1920s, von Opel had...

, Messerschmitt Me 163

Messerschmitt Me 163

The Messerschmitt Me 163 Komet, designed by Alexander Lippisch, was a German rocket-powered fighter aircraft. It is the only rocket-powered fighter aircraft ever to have been operational. Its design was revolutionary, and the Me 163 was capable of performance unrivaled at the time. Messerschmitt...

, several American experimental aircraft, SpaceShipOne, EZ-rocket, the Space Shuttle

Space Shuttle

The Space Shuttle was a manned orbital rocket and spacecraft system operated by NASA on 135 missions from 1981 to 2011. The system combined rocket launch, orbital spacecraft, and re-entry spaceplane with modular add-ons...

 and the Russian Buran (spacecraft)

Buran

Buran may refer to:* Buran , a Soviet space shuttle** Buran program, which developed the spacecraft* Buran eavesdropping device, invented by Léon Theremin, used by soviet intelligence* Buran cruise missile, a Soviet cruise missile...

. Some launches behind tugs of Messerschmitt Me 321

Messerschmitt Me 321

|-See also:-Bibliography:* Dabrowski, Hans-Peter. Messerschmitt Me 321/323: The Luftwaffe's "Giants" in World War II. Atglen, PA: Schiffer Military History, 2001. ISBN 0-7643-1442-4....

s were rocket-assisted. However most aircraft described as rocket gliders are radio-controlled models.

Cancelled aircraft of this general type include Silbervogel and the X-20 Dynasoar.