Deflectable distributed aerospike rocket nozzle

A rocket engine comprising:

• a rocket engine combustion chamber;
• and
• a rocket engine nozzle including:
• an aerospike including a plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes disposed at an exit end of the rocket engine combustion chamber and extending across a circular exit opening of the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit end of the rocket engine combustion chamber from a first point on an inner perimeter of the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit end to a second point on the inner perimeter of the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit end, the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes being distributed around a central longitudinal axis, the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes and the inner perimeter of the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit end defining a plurality of apertures between adjacent adjustable airfoil vanes at the exit opening, the plurality of apertures being configured to choke an exhaust exiting the rocket engine combustion chamber and cause the exhaust to expand supersonically along the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes to create a supersonic jet;
• and
• an actuator configured to adjust a position of the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes relative to each other to thereby direct the exhaust exiting the rocket engine combustion chamber as the exhaust expands supersonically along the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes to thereby direct the supersonic jet and vector a thrust of the supersonic jet.

A method of operating a rocket propulsion system, the method comprising:

• providing a rocket engine, the rocket engine including a rocket engine combustion chamber and a rocket engine nozzle, the rocket engine nozzle including an aerospike including a plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes disposed at an exit end of the rocket engine combustion chamber and extending across a circular exit opening of the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit end of the rocket engine combustion chamber from a first point on an inner perimeter of the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit end to a second point on the inner perimeter of the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit end, the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes being distributed around a central longitudinal axis, the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes and the inner perimeter of the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit end defining a plurality of apertures between adjacent adjustable airfoil vanes at the exit opening, the plurality of apertures being configured to choke an exhaust exiting the rocket engine combustion chamber and cause the exhaust to expand supersonically along the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes to create a supersonic jet;
• an actuator configured to adjust a position of the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes relative to each other to thereby direct the exhaust exiting the rocket engine combustion chamber as the exhaust expands supersonically along the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes to thereby direct the supersonic jet and vector a thrust of the supersonic jet, the method further comprising adjusting a position of one or more of the plurality of adjustable airfoil vanes relative to each other;
• and operating the rocket engine such that the exhaust exits the rocket engine combustion chamber at the exit plane and the exhaust is choked by the plurality of apertures and expands supersonically along the plurality of airfoil vanes in their respective positions thereby directing the supersonic jet and vectoring the thrust of the supersonic jet.