Rigidized assisted opening system for high altitude parafoils

A parafoil for releasably supporting a payload from a flight vehicle, the parafoil comprising:

• a canopy coupled with a base structure via first and second elongated wing tip supports, the first and second wing tip supports each comprising a flexible rod configured to flex to store energy of flexure in a stowed configuration and to spring open using at least in part the stored energy of flexure of the flexible rods from the stowed configuration into a deployed flight configuration wherein the canopy is spread open,
• wherein, in the stowed configuration, lower ends of the first and second elongated wing tip supports extend outward relative to a vertical orientation and upper ends of the first and second elongated wing tip supports are located above the respective lower ends and converge inward relative to the vertical orientation;
• and
• a tether releasably coupled with the base structure, the tether extending through the canopy in the stowed configuration and configured to couple with a connection device for connection to a flight vehicle that is located above the parafoil,
• wherein releasing the tether from the base structure will release the parafoil from the flight vehicle.

A method of using a parafoil comprising a canopy coupled with a base structure via first and second elongated wing tip supports comprising respectively a first flexible rod and a second flexible rod, the method comprising:

• flexing the first and second wingtip supports into a stowed configuration, wherein in the stowed configuration the first and second flexible rods are flexed to store energy of flexure such that lower ends of the first and second wingtip supports extend outward from the base structure at an initial angle relative to a vertical orientation and upper ends of the first and second wingtip supports are located above the respective lower ends and converge inward relative to the vertical orientation;
• restraining the first and second wingtip supports in the stowed configuration;
• storing the canopy of the parafoil in a parachute bag;
• attaching the parafoil to a flight vehicle;
• and
• attaching the base structure to a payload.