Launch vehicle with reconfigurable interstage propellant manifolding and solid rocket boosters

A launch vehicle comprising:

• a first stage including at least one solid rocket motor;
• a second stage having first and second separate liquid propellant rocket motors, each having propellant tanks and a liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• a third stage, configured so as to burn in parallel with said first and second stages, having a propellant tank and a liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• means for transferring liquid propellant between said second stage and said third stage, said transferring means being reconfigurable in response to the detection of a non-nominal condition in the form of a benign failure in said second or third stage;
• and
• a fourth stage, configured so as to burn in series with said third stage, said fourth stage including a payload;
• wherein said first stage and said first and second liquid propellant rocket motors of said second stage are configured in parallel about said third stage and are separately releasably coupled to said third stage.

A launch vehicle comprising:

• a first stage including at least one solid rocket motor;
• a second stage having first and second separate liquid propellant rocket motors, each having propellant tanks and a liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• a third stage, configured so as to burn in parallel with said first and second stages, having a propellant tank and a liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• means for transferring liquid propellant between said second stage and said third stage;
• and
• a fourth stage, configured so as to burn in series with said third stage, said fourth stage including a payload;
• wherein said first stage and said first and second liquid propellant rocket motors of said second stage are configured in parallel about said third stage and are separately releasably coupled to said third stage;
• and
• wherein said means for transferring propellant comprises a first propellant manifold structure coupling the propellant tanks of said first liquid propellant rocket motor and said third stage and a second propellant manifold structure coupling the propellant tanks of said second liquid propellant rocket motor with said third stage.

A launch vehicle comprising:

• a first stage including at least one solid rocket motor;
• a second stage having first liquid propellant tanks and a first liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• a third stage, configured so as to burn in parallel with said first and second stages, having a second propellant tank and a second liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• means for transferring liquid propellant between said second stage and said third stage;
• and
• means for reconfiguring the propellant transfer between said second and third stages in response to a signal indicating detection of a non-nominal benign failure condition in said second or third stage.

A launch vehicle comprising:

• a first stage including at least one solid rocket motor;
• a second stage having first and second separate liquid propellant rocket motors, each having propellant tanks and a liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• a third stage, configured so as to burn in parallel with said first and second stages, having a propellant tank and a liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• and
• means for transferring liquid propellant between said second stage and said third stage, said transferring means being reconfigurable in response to the detection of a non-nominal condition in the form of a benign failure in said second or third stage;
• wherein said first stage and said first and second liquid propellant rocket motors of said second stage are configured in parallel about said third stage and are separately releasably coupled to said third stage.

A multistage launch vehicle having a nominal launch staging and including:

• a plurality of liquid rocket stages, each of said stages having propellant tanks and at least one liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• means for transferring propellant between stages;
• and
• means for reconfiguring the launch vehicle staging in real time in response to a signal indicating a non-nominal condition in the form of a benign failure condition in one of the stages, whereby the projected failure probabilities of the launch vehicle are substantially reduced.

A multistage launch vehicle having a nominal launch configuration, said vehicle including:

• a plurality of liquid rocket stages, each of said stages having propellant tanks and at least one liquid propellant burning rocket engine;
• an interstage propellant transfer manifold;
• and
• means for reconfiguring in real time the interstage propellant transfer manifold and hence the launch vehicle in response to detection of a non-nominal condition in the form of a benign failure condition in one of the stages, whereby the projected failure probabilities of the vehicle are substantially reduced.