Bottle Rocket

A bottle rocket is a very small skyrocket. A typical bottle rocket consists of a rocket engine attached to a stabilizing stick. The user can place the stick in an empty bottle (hence the name), and ignite the rocket engine; the mouth of the bottle guides the stick, stabilizing the rocket in its first moments of flight.

These rockets have been made at least since the early decades of the 20th century, and in many countries, including Japan, China, and Macao. The older type of bottle rocket was typically a black powder skyrocket with a motor about 2 inches (5 cm) long and up to 0.375 inch (9 mm) diameter, mounted on a thin bamboo splint and often having a small report charge.

Modern bottle rockets are small and very cheap. They are often sold by the gross, for less than $US 0.20 each, and have known to have been as little as $1.50 for 144 bottle rockets. Thailand's Isan region, many are made by hand and sold in conjunction with Rocket Festivals, which feature similar appearing rockets that may pack as much as 250 kg of black powder.

In India, bottle rockets are set off during the Hindu festival of Diwali, and are sold in the millions.

Bottle rockets are specifically illegal in many jurisdictions, even those where most other consumer fireworks are legal. They are sometimes considered to present a unique hazard, due to their ability to fly in many different directions other than vertically. Bottle rockets are illegal in several states^[1] in America, but they are cheap and easy to obtain.