A gyroscopic orbiter with vertical takeoff and vertical landing capabilities can transition between different functional modes while in-flight. The orbiter typically includes a fuselage, a front boom, a front propulsion unit, a rear boom, and a rear propulsion unit. The front boom is mounted at two pivot points to a bow of the fuselage by the front boom. The rear boom is mounted at two pivot points to a stern of the fuselage by the rear boom. One functional mode is the vertical takeoff and landing mode, wherein the propulsion units are oriented parallel to each other and are directed upward. Another functional mode is the shuttle mode, wherein the propulsion units are oriented at an angle with each other, and the front propulsion unit is directed forward. Another functional mode is the high speed mode, wherein the propulsion units are oriented collinear with a roll axis of the fuselage.

A vehicle and method enabling propulsive flight from the Earth's surface to and from the Moon's surface returning to horizontal Earth landing along an airstrip. This reusable geolunar shuttle vehicle can employ external drop tanks, and function as the final propulsive stage of a multi-stage vehicle which can be: 1) expendable, reusable or party reusable; 2) ground-launched, sea-launched, or air-launched; 3) single-launched or multiple-launched with assembly/refueling en route. The geolunar shuttle can employ axial or ventral propulsion using current operational single-fuel engines or dual-fuel engines providing enhanced system performance. The geolunar shuttle can be crewed or not, and can be internally configured to carry personnel, cargo, or a mix of both. The geolunar shuttle can optionally be used for low earth orbit and far space, including Earth escape missions.

Methods of accelerating a target vehicle to a higher orbit via a Kinetic Energy Storage and Transfer (KEST) vehicle are provided. The KEST vehicle is configured to transfer kinetic energy to the target vehicle by way of a catching mechanism using one or more brakes on one or more associated tethers along which the braking mechanism traverses, accelerating the target vehicle into a higher orbit, potentially even beyond the Earth.

An annular aerospike nozzle for a vehicle, such as an upper stage rocket, is disclosed. The annular aerospike nozzle includes a centerbody and a plurality of thrust chambers spaced around the centerbody. Each thrust chamber has a throat and a nozzle portion extending aft of the throat. The nozzle portion has an exit dimension D.sub.exit at an aft end. Each thrust chamber is spaced away from adjacent thrust chambers by a spacing distance D.sub.space, such that D.sub.spaceM*D.sub.exit, where M1.

A generally vertical rocket (2) flies generally horizontally into recovery line, cable or chain (3) suspended between towers (5, 7) of a catamaran landing ship (9). High speed winches (11, 13), preferably located near or at the tops of the towers (5, 7) can rapidly reel in or out the recovery line (3) to effectively raise or lower the recovery line (3). The fixture engages a capture device on the rocket located usually above the rocket center of gravity. This invention provides a more reliable means of landing a rocket and also eliminates rocket weight, cost and complexity associated with previous means of landing a rocket.

Disclosed is support equipment for collecting a reusable rocket, the support equipment including a plurality of supports located on a landing platform and spaced apart from one another, a contact support pad having a contacting face to contact a reusable rocket when the reusable rocket is landing, and connected to each of the supports to secure the reusable rocket, and a distance sensor configured to sense a position of the reusable rocket or the contact support pad, wherein each of the supports is configured to move the contact support pad based on information on a distance measured by the distance sensor, and the contact support pad is configured to secure the reusable rocket when the reusable rocket has landed, in order to prevent a damage of the reusable rocket.

A heat shield for protecting a windward side of a vehicle from a high enthalpy flow is disclosed. The heat shield includes a centerbody sidewall and a centerbody base extending aft of the centerbody sidewall. The centerbody sidewall and the centerbody base define a heat shield outer surface that is non-axisym metric. Also disclosed is an aerospike nozzle defined at least partially by the heat shield, an engine including a high pressure chamber and the aerospike nozzle, and a vehicle including the engine.

A reusable upper stage rocket or other atmospheric re-entry vehicle includes a nose, a base opposite the nose, and a propulsion engine toward the base. The propulsion engine includes a high pressure chamber and a nozzle configured to exhaust gas generated by the high pressure chamber. The nozzle includes an initial nozzle portion, a secondary nozzle portion downstream of the initial nozzle portion, and a nozzle exit at a downstream end of the secondary nozzle portion. The secondary nozzle portion includes an inner expansion surface, an outer expansion surface outboard of the inner expansion surface, and an expansion cavity defined between the inner expansion surface and the outer expansion surface.

A rocket stage for a multistage space launch vehicle, wherein the rocket stage includes a main engine and is configured for stage separation from remaining parts of the space launch vehicle such that the rocket stage returns to the surface of the earth, wherein rocket stage includes an inflatable hull configured to retain lifting gas from a pressure tank, an inflation unit, a propulsion and steering unit configured to provide thrust and attitude control to the rocket stage, and a control unit configured to initiate inflation of the hull by controlling the inflation unit after the stage separation and to control the propulsion and steering unit to maneuver the rocket stage to a specified landing site on the surface of the earth.

Vehicles with control surfaces and associated systems and methods are disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a rocket can include a plurality of bidirectional control surfaces positioned toward an aft portion of the rocket. In this embodiment, the bidirectional control surfaces can be operable to control the orientation and/or flight path of the rocket during both ascent, in a nose-first orientation, and descent, in a tail-first orientation for, e.g., a tail-down landing. Launch vehicles with fixed and deployable deceleration surfaces and associated systems and methods are also disclosed.