Ring-shaped booster rocket
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorsRyan Starkey, Dario N. Altamirano, John Meschberger
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A rocket booster has an annular shape, with a casing defining an annular space therewithin, and a solid rocket fuel in the annular spacing. The rocket booster also includes one or more nozzle pieces, mechanically coupled to the casing, that define one or more nozzles at the aft side of the rocket booster. The rocket booster may be mechanically coupled to an object protruding from the back of a fuselage of a flight vehicle, such as a missile. For example, the rocket booster may be placed around an aft turbojet nozzle of the flight vehicle. This allows the rocket booster to be used in situations where primary propulsion must be running both before and after (and perhaps during) the firing of the rocket booster.
Claims22
(canceled)
A booster rocket comprising:
- an annular casing defining an annular space therewithin, and having a central opening;
- a solid rocket fuel in the annular space;
- and
- one or more nozzle pieces mechanically coupled to the annular casing, defining one or more nozzles at an aft end of the annular casing;
- wherein the one or more nozzle pieces includes an annular nozzle piece that defines an annular nozzle;
- and
- wherein the booster rocket is a capable of being placed around and installed around a separate object.
(canceled)
A booster rocket comprising:
- an annular casing defining an annular space therewithin, and having a central opening;
- a solid rocket fuel in the annular space;
- and
- one or more nozzle pieces mechanically coupled to the annular casing, defining one or more nozzles at an aft end of the annular casing;
- wherein the one or more nozzle pieces includes multiple nozzle pieces;
- and
- wherein the multiple nozzle pieces are circumferentially spaced around aft end of the annular casing.
A missile comprising:
- a fuselage;
- a main propulsion system that includes a nozzle protruding aftward from the fuselage;
- and
- a booster rocket around the nozzle, the booster rocket including:
- an annular casing defining an annular space therewithin, and having a central opening through which the nozzle protrudes;
- a solid rocket fuel in the annular space;
- and
- one or more nozzle pieces mechanically coupled to the annular casing, defining one or more nozzles at an aft end of the annular casing;
- wherein the one or more nozzle pieces includes an annular nozzle piece that defines an annular nozzle;
- and
- wherein the booster rocket is a capable of being placed around and installed around a separate object.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.