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.

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 three-dimensional additive manufactured product includes a body portion and a male screw portion integrally disposed on a surface of the body portion so as to protrude therefrom. The male screw portion includes a following side flank forming a first flank angle with respect to a vertical plane to an axis thereof. The first flank angle is not less than 45 degrees.

A three-dimensional additive manufactured product includes a body portion and a male screw portion integrally disposed on a surface of the body portion so as to protrude therefrom. The male screw portion includes a following side flank forming a first flank angle with respect to a vertical plane to an axis thereof. The first flank angle is not less than 45 degrees.

The invention relates to a thrust chamber device comprising a thrust chamber with a thrust space having a first portion, a second portion adjacent thereto, and a third portion adjacent to the second portion, the thrust space being delimited in all three portions by an outer nozzle wall having an outer thrust space surface, which outer thrust space surface tapers in the first and second portion toward the third portion, widens in the third portion away from the second portion, and has a narrowest point at the transition from the second portion to the third portion, the first portion being delimited by an inner nozzle wall with an inner thrust space surface, which tapers toward the second portion, an annular combustion chamber being formed between the inner thrust space surface and the outer thrust space surface and extending over the first portion.

A propellant injector is adapted to be installed to a hybrid rocket engine and includes an injector casing, a tube and a plurality of blades. The tube is arranged along a center axis of the propellant injector in an inner space of the injector casing. The plurality of blades is disposed to and evenly distributed over an outer surface of the tube, and is configured to cause vortices toward a combustion chamber of the hybrid rocket engine when being driven to rotate.

A propellant injector is adapted to be installed to a hybrid rocket engine and includes an injector casing, a tube and a plurality of blades. The tube is arranged along a center axis of the propellant injector in an inner space of the injector casing. The plurality of blades is disposed to and evenly distributed over an outer surface of the tube, and is configured to cause vortices toward a combustion chamber of the hybrid rocket engine when being driven to rotate.

A rocket engine comprises a combustion chamber and a rocket nozzle that communicates with the combustion chamber. A metal wire supply device supplies a metal wire, which is fuel, to the combustion chamber. A water vapor generator supplies water vapor as an oxidant to the combustion chamber. An ignition device ignites the metal wire in a water vapor atmosphere.

Systems and methods for a fully reusable upper stage for a multi-stage launch vehicle are provided. The reusable upper stage uses an aerospike engine for main propulsion and for vertical landing. A heat shield can include a plurality of scarfed nozzles embedded radially around a semi-spherical surface of the heat shield, wherein inboard surfaces of the plurality of scarfed nozzles collectively define an aerospike contour. The heat shield can be actively cooled to dissipate heat encountered during reentry of the upper stage.

A liquid rocket engine integrates tap-off openings at a combustion chamber wall to direct exhaust from the combustion chamber to a tap-off manifold that provides the exhaust to one or more auxiliary systems, such as a turbopump that pumps oxygen and/or fuel into the combustion chamber. The tap-off opening passes through a fuel channel formed in that combustion chamber exterior wall and receives fuel through a fuel opening that interfaces the fuel channel and tap-off opening. The tap-off manifold nests within a fuel manifold for thermal management. The fuel channel directs fuel into the combustion chamber through fuel port openings formed in the combustion chamber, the fuel port openings located closer to a headend of the combustion chamber than the tap-off openings.