Launch vehicle with interstage propellant manifolding
OwnerByron P. Leonardinventor
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An improved launch vehicle having a central vehicle stack with an upper stage, a lower stage and payload, and having one or more additional parallel burning stages burning in parallel with the lower stage. Interstage propellant transfer is provided from the shorter to longer burning parallel stages. The additional parallel stages are preferably of substantially the same, or greater, length as the central lower stage. The central lower stage and parallel additional stages may preferably have substantially the same thrust capabilities at liftoff and sufficient thrust to provide redundancy and hence increased reliability, in the event of loss of one of the parallel stages.
Claims29
An improved launch vehicle, comprising:
- a first stage having propellant tank, engine and thrust structure coupling the propellant tank and engine;
- a second stage, coupled to said first stage in a side-by-side configuration so as to allow parallel burning of said first and second stages, said second stage having a propellant tank, engine and thrust structure, said second stage having a length substantially the same as or less than said first stage;
- means operatively associated with said first and second stages for sensing benign failure conditions in said stages;
- means for transferring propellant from said first stage to said second stage, said propellant transferring means including flow control means reconfigurable in response to sensed benign failure conditions;
- and
- a payload configured on top of, and in a series staging relationship with, said second stage.
An improved launch vehicle, comprising:
- a first stage having a first propellant tank and first rocket engine;
- a second stage configured in parallel with said first stage and having a propellant tank and rocket engine, the second stage having substantially the same thrust to weight ratio as that of the first stage;
- means operatively associated with said first and second stages for sensing benign failure conditions in said stages;
- an interstage propellant transfer system for transferring propellant between the first stage and the second stage, said propellant transfer system including flow control means reconfigurable in response to sensed benign failure conditions;
- and
- a payload.
An improved launch vehicle of the type having in flight telemetry for monitoring operation of critical flight parameters, comprising:
- a first stage having one or more separate first stage structures, each first stage structure having a propellant tank and rocket engine;
- a second stage configured in parallel with said first stage and having a second stage propellant tank and second stage rocket engine;
- staging means, responsive to a staging signal indicative of a benign failure condition in the first stage or second stage and provided in response to monitoring of said flight telemetry, for coupling the first stage and second stage and for decoupling and releasing said first stage in response to said staging signal;
- an interstage propellant transfer system for transferring propellant from the first stage propellant tanks to the engines of the second stage, said interstage propellant transfer system including means for separating in response to said staging signal;
- and
- a payload configured in series with said second stage.
An improved launch vehicle comprising:
- a first stage having one or more separate structures each separate structure having a propellant tank and rocket engine;
- a second stage configured in parallel with said first stage and having a second stage propellant tank and second stage rocket engine;
- means operatively associated with said first and second stages for sensing benign failure conditions in said stages;
- an interstage propellant transfer system for providing propellant from one or more of the first stage propellant tank to the second stage engines, said propellant transfer system including flow control means reconfigurable in response to sensed benign failure conditions;
- an upper stage configured on top of and in series with said second stage, said upper stage comprising a first upper stage and a second upper stage, each having a propellant tank and rocket engine, the first and second upper stages being configured to burn in parallel;
- an upper stage propellant transfer system for transferring propellant from the first upper stage propellant tanks to the engines of the second upper stage;
- and
- a payload configured on top of, and in series with, said upper stage.
A method for controlling the in flight staging sequence of a launch vehicle having a first stage and a second stage burning in parallel at liftoff and a third stage in series with said second stage, and further having an interstage propellant manifolding system having first stage engine inlet valves and tank outlet valves and second stage engine inlet vales and tank outlet vales, comprising the steps of:
- monitoring the flight telemetry of the launch vehicle for indication of a benign failure in the first stage;
- and
- upon detection of a benign failure in the first stage performing the following sequence:
- opening the second stage tank outlet valves;
- closing the first stage engine inlet valves;
- disconnecting the first and second stages;
- and
- closing the first stage tank outlet valves.
A method for controlling the in flight staging sequence of a launch vehicle having a first stage, a second stage burning in parallel with said first stage, an interstage propellant transfer system for transferring propellant between said first and second stages, and a third stage and payload configured in series with said second stage, comprising the steps of:
- igniting the first and second stages at liftoff, both stages burning propellant from said first stage;
- monitoring the flight telemetry of the launch vehicle;
- and
- upon detection of a benign failure in the second stage:
- shutting off the second stage engines;
- and
- initiating transfer of propellant from said second stage to said first stage;
- continuing to burn said first stage engines until the propellant both first and second stages is depleted;
- and
- jettisoning said first and second stages.
A method for controlling the in flight staging sequence of a launch vehicle having a first stage, a second stage burning in parallel with said first stage, an interstage propellant transfer system for transferring propellant between said first and second stages, and a third stage and payload configured in series with said second stage, comprising the steps of:
- igniting the first and second stages at liftoff, both stages burning propellant from said first stage;
- monitoring the flight telemetry of the launch vehicle;
- and
- upon detection of a benign failure in the first stage:
- shutting down the first stage engines;
- continuing to burn the second stage engines with propellant from the first stage until the first stage propellant is depleted;
- and
- upon depletion of propellant in the first stage, jettisoning the first stage.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.