The boosters separate at an altitude of about 150,000 ft, or 30 miles, about 2 minutes after liftoff. Their momentum carries them to a peak altitude of about 220,000 ft, or 40 miles. They then begin a ballistic freefall carrying them about 140 miles downrange of the launch pad where they are recovered. At an altitude of 15,000 ft, or 3 miles, they deploy parachutes to slow the descent before impacting the water about seven minutes after launch.

Note that the solid rocket boosters are jettisoned at two minutes and five seconds after launch at the point called "SRB Staging." At that time, the vehicle is traveling nearly 3,000 mph (4,600 km/h) at an altitude of 29 miles (47 km)

After recovery, the SRBs are towed back to shore where they are refurbished for use on a future flight. Each booster is designed to complete about 25 flights before it is no longer usable