A reusable spacecraft and its trajectory

Abstract

This invention discloses a reusable spacecraft and its trajectory, including a spacecraft body comprising at least one first-stage engine and at least one second-stage engine. The first-stage engine propels the spacecraft body in the opposite direction to gravity within a first error range during the ascent and descent phases. The second-stage engine propels the spacecraft body in the perpendicular direction to gravity within a second error range during the translational phase. This disclosure allows the spacecraft to fly in the dense atmosphere along the direction of the fastest change in air density, minimizing the impact of air resistance on the spacecraft and reducing the special structural and aspect ratio requirements of previous spacecraft, thus lowering the technical requirements and cost of the spacecraft structure. The second-stage engine minimizes the thrust loss due to gravity, increasing the effectiveness of the second-stage mass.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure pertains to the field of reusable spacecraft, specifically relating to a reusable spacecraft and its trajectory. Background Technology

[0002] Spacecraft launch trajectories involve vertical takeoff from the ground, following a predetermined flight program to turn, traverse the atmosphere, and finally achieve thrust termination, delivering the payload into the planned orbit. In current technologies, when launching rockets without recovery, to maximize the use of the thrust provided by the first stage, all spacecraft enter the programmed turn process a certain time after leaving the launch pad. Atmospheric turning involves a relatively long flight time within the atmosphere and requires special structural and aspect ratio requirements for the spacecraft, thus placing high demands on the spacecraft's structural technology and requiring a large amount of fuel. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To address the aforementioned technical problems, the present disclosure aims to provide a reusable spacecraft capable of flying in dense atmosphere in the shortest possible time, minimizing the impact of air resistance on the spacecraft, while vertical flight also reduces the special requirements of previous spacecraft on structure and aspect ratio, thereby lowering the technical requirements and cost of the spacecraft structure.

[0004] To achieve the objectives of this disclosure, the technical solution adopted is as follows:

[0005] A reusable spacecraft includes a spacecraft body, the spacecraft body comprising:

[0006] At least one first-stage engine installed in the aircraft body is used to maintain the propulsion of the aircraft body in the opposite direction of gravity within a first error range during the ascent and descent phases.

[0007] At least one second-stage engine installed in the aircraft body is used to maintain the propulsion of the aircraft body in the vertical direction of gravity within a second error range during the translation phase;

[0008] The aircraft body can be launched sequentially through ascent, descent, and translation phases.

[0009] Optionally, it also includes at least one attitude control engine installed in the aircraft body, for oriented the nozzle of the second-stage engine toward the vertical direction along gravity between the ascent, descent and translation phases of the aircraft body launch, and for oriented the nozzle of the first-stage engine toward the direction of gravity between the translation and ascent phases of the aircraft body recovery.

[0010] This disclosure also provides a trajectory for a reusable rocket, applicable to the aforementioned reusable spacecraft, including:

[0011] During the ascent and descent phases, the first-stage engine propels the aircraft body in the opposite direction of gravity within the first error range.

[0012] During the translation phase, the second-stage engine propels the aircraft body along the vertical direction of gravity within the second error range.

[0013] Optionally, the translation phase occurs after the first-stage engine is shut down.

[0014] Optionally, between the lifting phase and the translation phase, the nozzle direction of the second-stage engine is adjusted to be perpendicular to the direction of gravity.

[0015] Optionally, the translation phase time exceeds 75% of the second-stage engine operating time.

[0016] Optionally, during the launch of the aircraft body, the projection of the gravity vector direction in the flight coordinate system at each moment during the flight is obtained through the navigation system, and the aircraft body uses the projection as the gravity direction.

[0017] Optionally, both the first error range and the second error range are cone angles of ±1 degree.

[0018] This disclosure also provides a readable storage medium having executable instructions thereon, which, when executed, cause a computer to perform the steps of the ballistic trajectory of the reusable rocket described above.

[0019] This disclosure also provides an electronic device, the device including a processor and a memory, the memory storing computer program instructions suitable for execution by the processor, the computer program instructions being executed by the processor to perform the above-described steps of the ballistic trajectory of a reusable rocket.

[0020] The first-stage engine in this disclosure does not have any programmed turns; the spacecraft always controls the engine thrust vector in the direction opposite to the direction of Earth's gravity. The thrust vector of the second-stage engine is always controlled in the direction perpendicular to the gravity at the spacecraft's location.

[0021] During ascent and descent, the advantage of using a vertical trajectory for the first-stage engine is that this trajectory allows the spacecraft to fly in the dense atmosphere along the direction of the fastest change in air density, minimizing the impact of air resistance on the spacecraft in the shortest time. At the same time, vertical flight also reduces the special requirements of previous spacecraft in terms of structure and slenderness ratio, thus lowering the technical requirements and cost of spacecraft structure.

[0022] During the translation phase, the second-stage engine directly uses a thrust vector setting method that is almost perpendicular to the direction of gravity, minimizing the portion of thrust lost due to gravity and increasing the effectiveness of the second-stage mass. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description thereof, serve to explain the principles of the present disclosure. These drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the present disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.

[0024] Figure 1 This is a structural schematic diagram of the ascent and descent phase of the reusable spacecraft disclosed herein;

[0025] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of the translation phase of the reusable spacecraft disclosed herein. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The present disclosure will now be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. It should be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Furthermore, it should be noted that, for ease of description, only the parts relevant to the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings.

[0027] It should be noted that, where there is no conflict, the embodiments and features described in this disclosure can be combined with each other. This disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0028] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 As shown, some embodiments of this disclosure provide a reusable spacecraft, including a spacecraft body 1. The spacecraft body can be a spacecraft in low Earth orbit, a spacecraft in geosynchronous orbit, a spacecraft in interplanetary orbit, etc., and the spacecraft body 1 includes:

[0029] At least one first-stage engine 2 installed in the aircraft body 1 is used to maintain the propulsion of the aircraft body 1 in the opposite direction of gravity within a first error range during the ascent and descent phase; the thrust vector of the first-stage engine 2 is maintained in the direction of gravity, and the thrust vector direction is opposite to the direction of gravity vector at the location of the engine. The first error range can be set to the thrust vector direction change not exceeding ±1 degree, or it can be set to other error angles as needed.

[0030] At least one second-stage engine 3 installed in the aircraft body 1 is used to propel the aircraft body 1 in the direction perpendicular to gravity within a second error range during the translation phase; the thrust vector direction of the second-stage engine 3 is kept perpendicular to the direction of gravity vector, and the second error range can be set within a conical surface with an inclination angle not exceeding ±1 degree, and the thrust vector direction of the second-stage engine 3 can be set in the direction of 0-360 degrees.

[0031] The first-stage engine 2 and the second-stage engine 3 can be chemical rocket engines, nuclear rocket engines, and electric rocket engines. Furthermore, they can be liquid rocket engines, solid rocket engines, and hybrid propellant rocket engines, etc.

[0032] Depending on the aircraft's power requirements, additional third-stage engines, fourth-stage engines, etc., can be added. When there are more stages of engines, the first-stage engine and the second-stage engine can together constitute the first-stage engine 1 in this disclosure, and the third-stage engine and the fourth-stage engine can together constitute the second-stage engine 3 in this disclosure. Other engine combination configurations will also not affect the implementation of this disclosure.

[0033] During the launch phase of the aircraft, it can be launched vertically through the ascent and descent phases. After being launched to the predetermined target, it enters the translation phase, which propels the aircraft laterally to decelerate and descend. During the descent, it decelerates vertically and lands.

[0034] During the recovery phase of the spacecraft, the spacecraft can first decelerate in the tangential direction of the Earth, and when it decelerates to the predetermined speed, it will descend and be recovered.

[0035] In another embodiment, the reusable spacecraft further includes at least one attitude control engine 4 installed in the spacecraft body 1. The attitude control engine 4 may be a second-stage rocket cold gas engine. The attitude control engine 4 is used to orient the nozzle of the second-stage engine 3 toward the direction perpendicular to gravity between the ascent and descent phases and the translation phases during the launch of the spacecraft body 1, and to orient the nozzle of the first-stage engine 2 toward the direction of gravity between the translation and ascent phases during the recovery of the spacecraft body 1.

[0036] In this disclosure, the first-stage engine 2 is not programmed to turn; the spacecraft always controls the engine thrust vector in the direction opposite to the direction of Earth's gravity. The thrust vector of the second-stage engine is always controlled in the direction perpendicular to the gravity at the spacecraft's location.

[0037] During ascent and descent, the advantage of using a vertical trajectory for the first-stage engine is that this trajectory allows the spacecraft to fly in the dense atmosphere along the direction of the fastest change in air density, minimizing the impact of air resistance on the spacecraft in the shortest time. At the same time, vertical flight also reduces the special requirements of previous spacecraft in terms of structure and slenderness ratio, thus lowering the technical requirements and cost of spacecraft structure.

[0038] During the translation phase, the second-stage engine directly uses a thrust vector setting method that is almost perpendicular to the direction of gravity, minimizing the portion of thrust lost due to gravity and increasing the effectiveness of the second-stage mass.

[0039] In addition, the spacecraft disclosed herein can launch and return a carrier rocket using a launch site and recovery site covering an area of ​​100 square kilometers, thereby minimizing the cost of constructing launch and recovery sites and shortening the preparation time for relaunch.

[0040] This disclosure also provides a trajectory for a reusable rocket, applicable to the aforementioned reusable spacecraft, including:

[0041] S1. Before takeoff, the spacecraft is fixed on the launch pad, and the engine is locked in the opposite direction of the rocket's forward motion. At the same time, leveling is used to ensure that this direction is the opposite direction of the gravity vector.

[0042] S2, during the ascent and descent phase, the first-stage engine 2 propels the spacecraft body 1 in the opposite direction of gravity within the first error range; the spacecraft flies along the direction of the fastest change in air density, navigating in the dense atmosphere in the shortest time, minimizing the impact of air resistance on the spacecraft. At the same time, vertical flight also reduces the special requirements of previous rockets on structure and slenderness ratio, lowering the technical requirements and cost of rocket structure.

[0043] S3. In this step, the nozzle direction of the second-stage engine 3 can be adjusted to the plane direction perpendicular to gravity by using the second-stage rocket's cold air engine; at the same time, the thrust vector direction is placed on this plane at a plane angle of 0-360 degrees according to the final orbital plane.

[0044] S4. Translation Phase: After the first-stage engine 2 is shut down, the second-stage engine 3 propels the aircraft body 1 along the vertical direction of gravity within a second error range. The second-stage engine 3 directly uses a thrust vector setting method that is almost perpendicular to the direction of gravity, minimizing the portion of thrust lost due to gravity and increasing the effectiveness of the second-stage mass. The translation phase can continue until the second-stage engine 3 operates for more than 75% of its thrust vector.

[0045] In another embodiment, during the operation of the first-stage engine 2 and for the first 75% of the operation time of the second-stage engine 3, the engine thrust vector is controlled solely based on the direction of gravity. The remaining operation time of the second-stage engine 3 can be used for position adjustments, trajectory changes, and other operations. Furthermore, in steps S2 to S4, the projection of the gravity vector direction in the flight coordinate system at each moment during flight is obtained through the navigation system, and the aircraft body uses this projection as the direction of gravity.

[0046] This exemplary embodiment provides a computer-readable storage medium storing executable instructions that, when executed, cause a computer to perform the steps of the ballistic trajectory of a reusable rocket described above. The computer-readable storage medium can be an electronic medium, magnetic medium, optical medium, electromagnetic medium, infrared medium, or a semiconductor system or propagation medium. The computer-readable storage medium may also include semiconductor or solid-state memory, magnetic tape, removable computer disk, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard disk, and optical disk. Optical disks may include optical disc-read-only memory (CD-ROM), optical disc-read / write (CD-RW), and DVD.

[0047] An exemplary embodiment of this disclosure provides an electronic device including a processor and a memory. The memory stores computer program instructions suitable for execution by the processor. When the processor executes the computer program instructions, it performs the steps of the ballistic trajectory of the reusable rocket described above. The processor may be a general-purpose processor, including a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), etc.; it may also be a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, or discrete hardware components. For example, the processor may be based on a multi-core digital signal processor 3713, with multiple DSP cores built-in at a clock frequency of 500MHz, and uses interrupts to control timing precision. The memory may include random access memory (RAM) and may also include non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device. The memory can also be an internal memory of the Random Access Memory (RAM) type. The processor and memory can be integrated into one or more independent circuits or hardware, such as Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs). It should be noted that when the computer program in the aforementioned memory is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of the present invention, or the part that contributes to the prior art, or a part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This computer software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a computer device (which may be a personal computer, electronic device, or network device, etc.) to execute all or part of the steps of the methods of the various embodiments of the present invention.

[0048] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment / mode," "some embodiments / modes," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment / mode or example is included in at least one embodiment / mode or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment / mode or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments / modes or examples. Furthermore, without contradiction, those skilled in the art can combine and integrate the different embodiments / modes or examples described in this specification, as well as the features of different embodiments / modes or examples.

[0049] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this application, "multiple" means at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0050] Those skilled in the art should understand that the above embodiments are merely for illustrating the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosure. Those skilled in the art can make other changes or modifications based on the above disclosure, and these changes or modifications still fall within the scope of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A recoverable spacecraft comprising a spacecraft body, characterised in that, The aircraft body comprises: at least one primary engine installed in the aircraft body, for keeping the aircraft body propelling in the direction opposite to gravity within a first error range during the lift-off phase; at least one secondary engine installed in the aircraft body, for keeping the aircraft body propelling in the vertical direction of gravity within a second error range during the translation phase; at least one attitude adjustment engine installed in the aircraft body, for adjusting the ejection direction of the secondary engine to the vertical direction of gravity during the lift-off phase and the translation phase of the aircraft body, and for adjusting the ejection direction of the primary engine to the direction of gravity during the translation phase and the lift-off phase of the aircraft body; a launch phase, after the aircraft completes the lift-off phase and reaches the predetermined target, the primary engine is shut down, the attitude adjustment engine adjusts the ejection direction of the secondary engine to the vertical direction of gravity, and then enters the translation phase; a recovery phase, the aircraft decelerates in the vertical direction of gravity, and when the speed reaches a predetermined value, the attitude adjustment engine adjusts the ejection direction of the primary engine to the direction opposite to gravity, and then the aircraft starts descending and recovering; The aircraft body can be launched by sequentially passing through the lift-off phase and the translation phase.

2. A trajectory of a recoverable rocket, characterized in that, The method is applied to the recoverable spacecraft as claimed in claim 1, and the method comprises: a lift-off phase, in which the primary engine is used to propel the aircraft body in the direction opposite to gravity within a first error range; a translation phase, in which the secondary engine is used to propel the aircraft body in the vertical direction of gravity within a second error range; During the launch of the aircraft body, the navigation system is used to obtain the projection of the direction of the gravity vector in the flight coordinate system at each moment during the flight, and the aircraft body takes the projection as the direction of gravity.

3. The trajectory of a recoverable rocket according to claim 2, characterized in that: The translation phase is after the primary engine is shut down.

4. The trajectory of a recoverable rocket according to claim 2, characterized in that: During the lift-off phase and the translation phase, the ejection direction of the secondary engine is adjusted to the vertical direction of gravity.

5. The trajectory of a recoverable rocket according to claim 2, characterized in that: The time of the translation phase is more than 75% of the working time of the secondary engine.

6. The trajectory of a recoverable rocket according to claim 2, characterized in that: Both the first error range and the second error range are a cone angle of ±1 degree.

7. A readable storage medium, characterized by, The computer has executable instructions thereon, which, when executed, cause the computer to perform the steps of the trajectory of the recoverable rocket as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6.

8. An electronic device, comprising: The device comprises a processor and a memory, and the memory has computer program instructions suitable for the processor, which, when executed by the processor, perform the steps of the trajectory of the recoverable rocket as claimed in any one of claims 2 to 6.

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