A propulsion assembly for a rocket includes a propellant tank configured to contain a propellant and an engine comprising a combustion chamber configured to subject the propellant to combustion and generate exhaust gases. The propulsion assembly further includes a supply circuit and an exhaust gas circuit. The supply circuit is disposed between the propellant tank and the combustion chamber, and the supply circuit is configured to supply the combustion chamber with the propellant. The exhaust gas circuit is disposed between the combustion chamber and the propellant tank, and the exhaust gas circuit is configured to convey at least part of the exhaust gases from the combustion chamber to the propellant tank to provide pressurization of the propellant tank.

Devices and methods of rocket propulsion are disclosed. In one aspect, a staged combustion liquid rocket engine with preburner and turbopump unit (TPU) integrated into the structure of the combustion chamber is described. An initial propellant mixture is combusted in a preburner combustion chamber formed as an annulus around a main combustion chamber, the combustion products from the preburner driving the turbine of the TPU and subsequently injected into the main combustion chamber for secondary combustion along with additional propellants, generating thrust through a supersonic nozzle. The preburner inner cylindrical wall is shared with the outer cylindrical wall of the engine's main combustion chamber and the turbine is axially aligned with the main combustion chamber. Liquid propellants supplied to the engine are utilized for regenerative cooling of the combustion chamber and preburner, where the liquid propellants are gasified in cooling manifolds before injection into the preburner and main combustion chamber.

A supply system for supplying a rocket engine with at least one propellant, the supply system comprising at least one supply circuit able to circulate the propellant, and at least one reservoir in fluid communication with the supply circuit via at least one communication pipe, so that a fluid contained in the reservoir can flow from the latter up to the supply circuit, and vice versa, via said at least one communication pipe, the reservoir being able to contain a volume of gas, and heating means able to vary the volume of gas in the reservoir, the heating means being configured to vaporize the propellant in the reservoir.

A supply system for supplying a rocket engine with at least one propellant, the supply system comprising at least one supply circuit able to circulate the propellant, and at least one reservoir in fluid communication with the supply circuit via at least one communication pipe, so that a fluid contained in the reservoir can flow from the latter up to the supply circuit, and vice versa, via said at least one communication pipe, the reservoir being able to contain a volume of gas, and heating means able to vary the volume of gas in the reservoir, the heating means being configured to vaporize the propellant in the reservoir.

Integrated chemical propellant and cold gas propulsion systems and methods are provided. A storage or fuel tank containing the chemical propellant is pressurized by a pressurant. The chemical propellant is selective passed to a propellant thruster through a first port of the storage tank and a propellant valve. The pressurant is selectively passed to a cold gas thruster through a second port of the storage tank and a cold gas valve. In addition, a pressurant tank can be provided. Pressurant contained within the pressurant tank can be selectively placed in communication with the pressurant contained within the storage tank via a pressurant valve, or can be selectively passed to the cold gas thruster through the cold gas thruster valve. Systems can also include bi-propellant thrusters, with a first and second chemical compounds and volumes of pressurant stored in first and second storage tanks respectively.

Integrated chemical propellant and cold gas propulsion systems and methods are provided. A storage or fuel tank containing the chemical propellant is pressurized by a pressurant. The chemical propellant is selective passed to a propellant thruster through a first port of the storage tank and a propellant valve. The pressurant is selectively passed to a cold gas thruster through a second port of the storage tank and a cold gas valve. In addition, a pressurant tank can be provided. Pressurant contained within the pressurant tank can be selectively placed in communication with the pressurant contained within the storage tank via a pressurant valve, or can be selectively passed to the cold gas thruster through the cold gas thruster valve. Systems can also include bi-propellant thrusters, with a first and second chemical compounds and volumes of pressurant stored in first and second storage tanks respectively.

The flow rate control device includes a main plate corresponding to an inner diameter and including a through hole which is formed at the center thereof and through which a fluid flows, a sub-plate corresponding to a size of the through hole, disposed in front of the main plate, and applied with a pressure of the flowing fluid, and an expansion and contraction flow path formed to connect the through hole and a circumference of the sub-plate to each other and expanded and contracted by the pressure applied to the sub-plate. The expansion and contraction flow path includes a plurality of holes which are formed in a side surface thereof and through which the flow flows, and has a cross-sectional area changed by the pressure to control a flow rate.

A rocket propulsion system comprising a first cryogenic tank and a second cryogenic tank, wherein the first cryogenic tank is filled with a first propellant, and the second cryogenic tank is filled with a second propellant, for purposes of feeding at least one repeatedly ignitable main propulsion unit in a propulsion phase of the rocket propulsion system. For purposes of tank pressurization via at least a low level of acceleration in a ballistic phase, a first auxiliary propulsion unit can be operated by means of a first gas pressure accumulator, and at least one further auxiliary propulsion unit can be operated by means of a further gas pressure accumulator, and the rocket propulsion system is assigned an energy conversion unit, which is designed at least to charge the first and the second gas pressure accumulator, preferably in the ballistic phase.

According to one contemplated embodiment of the rocket engine invention, water is first pumped from a water tank through a rocket nozzle cooling heat exchanger wherein it is evaporated into said superheated steam. A generator supplies electricity to an electrolyzer that electrolyzes superheated steam into gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen. The gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen is employed for forming an annular curtain of secondary combustion in a divergent rocket engine. The secondary combustion gas surrounds a central thrust of combustion gas produced in an upstream combustion chamber by a primary injection of hydrogen/oxygen supplied from a liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. The rocket liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank are pressurized by gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen generated by the electrolyzer.

According to one contemplated embodiment of the rocket engine invention, water is first pumped from a water tank through a rocket nozzle cooling heat exchanger wherein it is evaporated into said superheated steam. A generator supplies electricity to an electrolyzer that electrolyzes superheated steam into gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen. The gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen is employed for forming an annular curtain of secondary combustion in a divergent rocket engine. The secondary combustion gas surrounds a central thrust of combustion gas produced in an upstream combustion chamber by a primary injection of hydrogen/oxygen supplied from a liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank. The rocket liquid hydrogen tank and liquid oxygen tank are pressurized by gaseous hydrogen and gaseous oxygen generated by the electrolyzer.