A recovery system for receiving rockets upon landing comprising a deceleration pool filled with liquid. The system may have a volume filled with the liquid having a desired density profile. An injection manifold injects gas into the liquid to create the density profile. The liquid may have a first density at a landing region of the pool and a second density greater than the first density away from the landing region, such as increasing in density radially outward from a center of the landing region. The pool may be located under a primary landing system intended to secure the landing rocket, such as a hook catch. The pool may be a contingency system for mitigating damage to a landing rocket that unsuccessfully attempts securing with the primary landing system.

The embodiments described herein provide a propulsive landing rocket landing leg system that provides for a high probability of a successful landing across wide stress and flow regimes due to the mechanism's ability to be implemented across a variety of compact and aerodynamic landing leg geometries. It provides for the ability to control unfolding speed for increased stabilization and removes unfolding dependence on the assistance of the gravitational force or separate forced actuating deployment sub-systems. The utilization of both rotational and linear damping units provides higher flexibility in the sourcing of lower cost components promoting higher cost-efficient construction and ease of parameter adaptation for the respective dynamics of the mechanism. The structural arrangement of the components allows for favorable distribution of stress, and in turn high stress tolerance due to the collaborative efforts of the parallel linear rod shafts and the landing leg structure, thus effective management of bending and other stress modes. Corresponding landing legs and methods are disclosed.

A rocket landing stabilization system can include one or more upright support structures such as posts, columns, or walls, from which one or more stabilizing elements can be supported. The stabilizing elements can be used to stabilize a rocket as it lands at a landing site. The rocket landing stabilization system can also include a cradle, funnel, or cone to catch or otherwise support a rocket as it lands at the landing site. The rocket landing stabilization system can be located on land or at sea.

A tiered spacecraft docking station is adapted to facilitate docking of spacecraft within outer space. A first tier includes a first frame enclosing a first area. A first net-like mesh is coupled to the first frame and fills the first area enclosed by the first frame. A second tier includes a second frame enclosing a second area. A second net-like mesh is coupled to the second frame and fills the second area enclosed by the second frame. A plurality of support beams attach the first frame to the second frame. A lander is used to slow and stop a spacecraft on a celestial body. The lander includes a first and a second webbed structure and a decelerator coupled to the first webbed structure and/or the second webbed structure. The decelerator maintains a tension in the first and/or second webbed structure below a predetermined threshold.

Described herein is a method of constructing a landing pad using a rocket engine while in-flight. Among other benefits, this method can reduce ejecta that otherwise would occur during landing on an unimproved surface. While a spacecraft is hovering over an unimproved surface, the spacecraft can inject particles into its rocket engine, after which the particles absorb heat from the engine and are projected at ballistic speeds toward the unimproved surface to create a landing pad. After constructing the landing pad and waiting for the landing pad to cool, the spacecraft can land on the landing pad. Also described herein are landing pads created from such particles as they impact the surface in a disc splat mode into the unimproved surface.

A non-tubular rocket stage landing apparatus for more reliably landing and returning a non-tubular rocket stage for reuse in subsequent main missions. The non-tubular rocket stage landing apparatus comprises a platform, a dampening and cushioning device, an exhaust diffuser device, a hollow shell, and a rotational device for angular aligning the hollow shell with the pass-through non-circular circumference of a vertically landing non-tubular rocket stage.

A rocket engine includes a primary chamber and a double contour nozzle attached to the primary chamber. The double contour nozzle includes an inner contour nozzle, an outer contour nozzle, and a transition region between the inner contour nozzle. The inner contour nozzle includes a conical contour. The outer contour nozzle includes a bell contour and at least one propellant injection orifice. The contour break point includes a radius of curvature that is less than 0.75 and a tangency angle that is in a range of from 40 degrees to 90 degrees.

A non-tubular rocket stage landing apparatus for more reliably landing and returning a non-tubular rocket stage for reuse in subsequent main missions. The non-tubular rocket stage landing apparatus comprises a platform, a dampening and cushioning device, an exhaust diffuser device, a hollow shell, and a rotational device for angular aligning the hollow shell with the pass-through non-circular circumference of a vertically landing non-tubular rocket stage.

A spacecraft for the distribution of electrical energy to client craft at points situated in free space, in orbit and/or on a celestial body includes a main structure equipped with an electric thruster, with a chemical thruster and with a solar generator, a first fuel container for fuel intended for the electric thruster, and a second fuel container for fuel intended for the chemical thruster. The spacecraft is able to be modulated such that the main structure can be coupled/decoupled alternatively to/from the first container or the second container, the first container and the second container are able to be coupled/decoupled to/from one another, and the solar generator can be deployed or retracted.

A rocket landing stabilization system can include one or more upright support structures such as posts, columns, or walls, from which one or more stabilizing elements can be supported. The stabilizing elements can be used to stabilize a rocket as it lands at a landing site. The rocket landing stabilization system can also include a cradle, funnel, or cone to catch or otherwise support a rocket as it lands at the landing site. The rocket landing stabilization system can be located on land or at sea.