A space aircraft including a fuselage, two wings arranged on either side of the fuselage, and two nacelles arranged at the ends of the wings and each carrying a horizontal tail and a vertical tail, the fuselage having a cross section of variable size along the longitudinal axis with a maximum cross section being located in a longitudinal position located in front of the longitudinal position of the leading edges of the wings at the fuselage, making it possible in particular to help prevent the space aircraft from losing longitudinal static stability, the space aircraft thus having an optimized design and architecture which are suitable for the severe conditions encountered by such a space aircraft, in particular during atmospheric re-entry.

A propulsion system for a spacecraft includes a thrust generator for producing thrust to move the spacecraft. A propellant storage unit is in fluid communication with the thrust generator. A control assembly is in communication with the spacecraft. The control assembly includes a propellant management assembly configured to adjust a supply of propellant from the storage unit to the thrust generator. A controller is configured to control the propellant management assembly. The control assembly is configured to selectively operate the thrust generator in a first mode in which the thrust generator uses propellant to electrostatically generate thrust, and a second mode in which the thrust generator uses propellant to gas-dynamically generate thrust.

Various embodiments of space launch vehicle systems and associated methods of manufacture and use are disclosed herein. In some embodiments, the systems include a reusable, horizontal takeoff/horizontal landing (HTHL), ground-assisted single-stage-to-orbit (SSTO) spaceplane that is capable of providing frequent deliveries of people and/or cargo to Low Earth Orbit (LEO). In some embodiments, the spaceplane can takeoff with the aid of a rocket-powered sled that, in addition to providing additional thrust for takeoff, can also provide propellant for the spaceplane engines during the takeoff run so that the spaceplane launches with full propellant tanks.

Rocket propulsion systems and associated methods are disclosed. A representative system includes a combustion chamber having an inwardly-facing chamber wall enclosing a combustion zone. The chamber has a generally spherical shape and is exposed to the combustion zone. A propellant injector is coupled to the combustion chamber and has at least one fuel injector nozzle positioned to direct a flow of cooling fuel radially outwardly along the inwardly-facing chamber wall. In addition to or in lieu of the foregoing features, the injector can include an oxidizer piston and a fuel piston that deliver oxidizer and fuel, respectively, to the combustion chamber, in a sequenced manner so that the oxidizer is introduced prior to the fuel.

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.

Space vehicles with paraglider re-entry, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A representative system includes a re-useable space vehicle, a collapsible, deployable and re-stowable re-entry heat shield carried by the space vehicle, and a collapsible, deployable and re-stowable flexible paraglider wing also carried by the space vehicle. The space vehicle can accordingly carry out repeated space-based missions, and can be refurbished and replenished on Earth and/or at an orbiting dock between missions.

A system and methods are provided for combining systems of an upper stage space launch vehicle for enhancing the operation of the space vehicle. Hydrogen and oxygen already on board as propellant for the upper stage rockets is also used for other upper stage functions to include propellant tank pressurization, attitude control, vehicle settling, and electrical requirements. Specifically, gases from the propellant tanks, instead of being dumped overboard, are used as fuel and oxidizer to power an internal combustion engine that produces mechanical power for driving other elements including a starter/generator for generation of electrical current, mechanical power for fluid pumps, and other uses. The exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine is also used directly in one or more vehicle settling thrusters. Accumulators which store the waste ullage gases are pressurized and provide pressurization control for the propellant tanks. The system is constructed in a modular configuration in which two redundant integrated fluid modules may be mounted to the vehicle, each of the modules capable of supporting the upper stage functions.

The present invention provides a multimode propulsion system, comprising at least one propellant ejector system, a high speed fluid ejection nozzle coupled to a propellant supply provided in the engine, and a propellant-air mixing system comprising at east one fluid intake member having an inlet end and an outlet end, the inlet end being in fluidic communication with the fluid ejection nozzle to receive the propellant ejected from the nozzle.

A control assembly for a spacecraft includes a propellant management assembly configured to adjust a supply of propellant from a storage unit to a thrust generator. The control assembly further includes a controller having a processor configured to receive an input from the spacecraft, and receive at least one input from the propellant management assembly or from the thrust generator. The processor is further configured to, based on the inputs, determine a desired operating mode of the thrust generator, and based on the determination, either 1) send an output to the propellant management assembly to operate in a first mode in which the thrust generator uses propellant to electrostatically generate thrust or 2) send an output to the propellant management assembly to operate in a second mode in which the thrust generator uses propellant to gas-dynamically generate thrust.

Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a vapor retention device and methods of using a vapor retention device to manage propellant for upper stage space vehicles. The use of a vapor retention device, in combination with controlled acceleration, drives liquid propellant from a propellant supply line communicating with an upper stage main engine back into a propellant tank and establishes an insulating liquid/gas propellant interface that prevents the exchange of gaseous propellant across the interface.