Liquid launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery and recovery method

Abstract

The application discloses a liquid carrier rocket based on hot air balloon recovery and a recovery method, wherein the liquid carrier rocket based on hot air balloon recovery comprises a hot air balloon recovery system, a sub-stage rocket and an upper stage rocket; the hot air balloon recovery system at least comprises a balloon system, a burner system and a control system; the balloon system at least comprises a parafoil, a parafoil connector, a skirt ring and a balloon protection shell; the burner system at least comprises a burner, a combustion agent transmission pipeline and a pipeline control valve; the control system controls the opening of the balloon protection shell, receives the balloon pressure in the parafoil collected by a parafoil pressure sensor, controls the operation of the burner and the opening of the pipeline control valve, monitors the near-earth distance of the sub-stage rocket, controls the opening and closing degrees of the pipeline control valve and the parafoil exhaust valve, and enables the sub-stage rocket to complete recovery. The application can realize safe recovery of the rocket, has small loss of carrying capacity and randomness of the falling point.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of aerospace technology, and in particular to a liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery and a recovery method thereof. Background Technology

[0002] Launch vehicles are a type of transportation vehicle capable of carrying payloads (such as satellites and manned spacecraft) from the ground to orbital targets in space. Currently, most launch vehicles in the world are single-use items, meaning that after completing their mission and separating from the payload, the launch vehicle will eventually crash to the ground, resulting in high launch costs. The first stage rocket typically accounts for more than 50% of the total cost of a launch vehicle (for example, in a two-stage launch vehicle, the first stage can even account for 80% of the total cost). Therefore, if the first stage rocket could be recovered, launch costs could be significantly reduced and launch cycles shortened.

[0003] Currently, there are two main methods for recovering launch vehicles: parachute recovery and vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) recovery. Parachute recovery involves the rocket deploying a parachute during descent to slow it down, ultimately landing at sea or on land. The advantages of parachute recovery are its system simplicity and minimal loss of rocket payload capacity; the disadvantages are the greater randomness of the landing area and the high landing speed, requiring additional cushioning devices for landing on land and corrosion protection measures for landing at sea. VTOL recovery involves the first stage rocket retaining a portion of propellant (including oxidizer and reductant) after separation from the upper stage. This allows the engines to restart during descent, ultimately enabling the rocket to slowly land at the designated landing site. The advantage of the vertical takeoff and landing (VTOL) recovery method is that it can achieve wide-range fixed-point recovery of the first-stage rocket. The disadvantage is that it reduces the carrying capacity of the first-stage rocket, that is, the speed increment it can provide is reduced; the rocket cannot hover during landing and still needs to be equipped with a cushioning device (such as a load-bearing device) at the bottom; in addition, the VTOL recovery method involves greater technical difficulty, mainly including the technology of multiple non-ignition engine starts and the technology of large-range variable thrust starting.

[0004] Therefore, there is an urgent need to design a new method for rocket recovery of hot air balloon systems, so as to achieve the effect of safely recovering rockets while minimizing the loss of carrying capacity and randomness of landing point. Summary of the Invention

[0005] The purpose of this application is to provide a liquid launch vehicle and recovery method based on hot air balloon recovery, which can safely recover the rocket while having minimal loss of carrying capacity and randomness of landing point.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application provides a liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery, comprising: a hot air balloon recovery system, a first-stage rocket, and an upper-stage rocket; wherein, the hot air balloon recovery system includes at least: a balloon system, a burner system, and a control system; the balloon system includes at least: a parachute, a parachute connector, a skirt ring, and a balloon protective shell; the top of the parachute is provided with a parachute exhaust valve and a parachute pressure sensor; the balloon protective shell, the parachute exhaust valve, and the parachute pressure sensor are all connected to the control system; one end of the parachute connector is connected to the top of the first-stage rocket, and the other end of the parachute connector is connected to one end of the skirt ring; the other end of the skirt ring is connected to the bottom end of the parachute; the balloon protective shell is located in the interstage section between the first and second stages, and before the first-stage rocket separates from the upper-stage rocket, the parachute connector, the skirt ring, and the parachute are all folded and encapsulated within the balloon protective shell; the burner system includes at least: a burner, a combustor ... The system includes a propellant delivery pipeline and pipeline control valves. The burner is connected to the reducing agent delivery system of the first-stage rocket via the propellant delivery pipeline. The pipeline control valves are located on the propellant delivery pipeline between the burner and the reducing agent delivery system. The burner and pipeline control valves are connected to the control system. The control system monitors the speed, attitude, and position of the first-stage rocket. When the first-stage rocket descends to a preset altitude threshold, it controls the opening of the protective shell of the parachute. It receives the pressure inside the parachute from the parachute pressure sensor. When the pressure inside the parachute exceeds a preset pressure threshold, it controls the burner to operate and the pipeline control valves to open, thereby heating the air inside the parachute. It monitors the near-Earth distance of the first-stage rocket. When the near-Earth distance is less than a preset near-Earth distance threshold, it controls the opening and closing of the pipeline control valves and the parachute exhaust valves to enable the first-stage rocket to be recovered.

[0007] As described above, the control system includes at least: onboard sensors for the first stage rocket, a rangefinder, an anemometer, a parachute valve control cable, and an onboard computer. The onboard sensors for the first stage rocket are used to collect real-time velocity, attitude, and position information and transmit this information to the onboard computer. The rangefinder is used to measure the near-Earth distance of the first stage rocket in real-time and transmit this distance to the onboard computer. The anemometer is used to measure the horizontal wind direction and speed at the altitude of the first stage rocket in real-time and transmit the altitude, horizontal wind direction, and wind speed as wind direction information to the onboard computer. The parachute valve control cable is connected to... The onboard computer is connected to the parachute exhaust valve. The onboard computer adjusts the opening and closing degree of the parachute exhaust valve through the parachute valve control cable. The onboard computer monitors the descent altitude of the first-stage rocket based on the received rocket body information. When the first-stage rocket descends to a preset altitude threshold, it controls the opening of the balloon protective shell. It receives the balloon pressure inside the parachute from the parachute pressure sensor. When the balloon pressure exceeds a preset pressure threshold, it controls the burner to operate and the pipeline control valve to open to heat the air inside the parachute. It adjusts the opening and closing degree of the parachute exhaust valve and / or pipeline control valve based on the near-ground distance and / or wind direction information, thereby regulating the return speed of the first-stage rocket.

[0008] As shown above, the rangefinder is located at the bottom of the first-stage rocket.

[0009] As shown above, the wind direction and speed meter is located on top of the first-stage rocket.

[0010] As shown above, the parachute connector is a cable.

[0011] As shown above, the skirt ring is made of nylon coated with a special heat-insulating material.

[0012] As shown above, the umbrella is made of reinforced nylon.

[0013] This application also provides a recovery method for the aforementioned liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery. The method includes the following steps: S1: Before the first-stage rocket separates from the upper-stage rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system is inactive, the burner system is off, and the control system is off; S2: After the first-stage rocket separates from the upper-stage rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system enters standby mode, the control system is activated, and the rocket body information is collected by the sensors on the first-stage rocket and sent to the onboard computer; S3: The onboard computer monitors the descent altitude of the first-stage rocket based on the received rocket body information. When the first-stage rocket descends to a preset altitude threshold, the balloon protective shell is opened, causing the parachute connector, skirt ring, and parachute to pop out from the balloon protective shell. The parachute exhaust valve is closed, and the air wake from the upper part of the first-stage rocket enters the parachute through the skirt ring, causing the parachute to deploy.

[0014] S4: The parachute pressure sensor collects the pressure of the balloon inside the parachute and sends the balloon pressure to the onboard computer. When the balloon pressure exceeds a preset pressure threshold, the onboard computer controls the burner to operate and the pipeline control valves to open. The propellant in the reducing agent delivery system enters the burner, which ignites and heats the air inside the parachute. S5: The anemometer measures the wind direction and sends the wind direction information to the onboard computer. The rangefinder measures the near-ground distance and sends the near-ground distance to the onboard computer. The onboard computer adjusts the opening and closing degree of the parachute exhaust valve and / or pipeline control valves based on the near-ground distance and / or wind direction information, thereby regulating the return speed of the first-stage rocket.

[0015] As described above, when the first-stage rocket is a small-sized rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system suspends the first-stage rocket at a set altitude and transmits the rocket body information collected by the onboard sensors to the ground control station. The ground control station determines the capture position based on the rocket body information and directs the spacecraft to capture the first-stage rocket based on the capture position. After the spacecraft completes the capture, the onboard computer closes the pipeline control valves and extinguishes the burner, while the parachute exhaust valve is fully opened to expel the hot air inside the parachute, thus completing the recovery of the first-stage rocket.

[0016] As described above, when the first-stage rocket is a large-sized rocket, the onboard computer determines the horizontal wind direction based on wind information. If the horizontal wind direction is unfavorable for rocket recovery, the onboard computer reduces the buoyancy by controlling the opening of the parachute exhaust valve and the closing of the control pipeline valve, causing the first-stage rocket to descend rapidly. If the horizontal wind direction is favorable for rocket recovery, the onboard computer increases the buoyancy generated by the hot air balloon recovery system by controlling the closing of the parachute exhaust valve and the opening of the control pipeline valve, ultimately suspending the first-stage rocket in the air to utilize the horizontal airflow for recovery.

[0017] The beneficial effects achieved by this application are as follows:

[0018] (1) The liquid launch vehicle and recovery method based on hot air balloon recovery in this application is a novel liquid launch vehicle and recovery method, which can safely recover the rocket while having a small loss of carrying capacity and randomness of landing point.

[0019] (2) The technical difficulty of the liquid launch vehicle and recovery method based on hot air balloon recovery in this application is far lower than that of the first-stage liquid launch vehicle recovery scheme of vertical take-off and landing recovery system; at the same time, the hot air balloon recovery system of this application only needs fuel in the rocket propellant during operation and can operate normally without oxidizer (liquid oxygen). Therefore, compared with the vertical recovery system, this application has a smaller impact on the carrying capacity, that is: the carrying capacity of the liquid launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery in this application is greater.

[0020] (3) The hot air balloon recovery system of this application can adjust the rocket's descent speed or make the rocket hover. Therefore, compared with the existing parachute recovery scheme, the recovery method of this application reduces the randomness of the landing point.

[0021] (4) The fact that the hot air balloon recovery system of this application can achieve hovering means that the hot air balloon recovery system can make the rocket fall slowly to the ground. Therefore, the rocket no longer needs a buffer device like the parachute recovery scheme or the vertical take-off and landing recovery scheme, which further reduces the loss of rocket carrying capacity. Attached Figure Description

[0022] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in this application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings.

[0023] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a liquid launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery, provided that the first-stage rocket and the upper-stage rocket have not separated and the hot air balloon recovery system is not in operation.

[0024] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of an embodiment of a liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery, when the hot air balloon recovery system is not in operation after the first-stage rocket separates from the upper-stage rocket;

[0025] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the air wake entering the balloon parachute as the hot air balloon recovery system begins to operate;

[0026] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the balloon parachute exhaust valve after it is opened during the operation of the hot air balloon recovery system.

[0027] Figure 5 The diagram shows the structure of the first-stage rocket and the hot air balloon recovery system during the recovery process. (A) is a structural diagram of the hot air balloon recovery system in its working state; (B) is a partial enlarged view of (A).

[0028] Figure 6 A flowchart of one embodiment of the recycling method. Detailed Implementation

[0029] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of the present invention. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0030] like Figure 1-5 As shown, this application provides a liquid launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery, including: a hot air balloon recovery system 1, a first-stage rocket 2, and an upper-stage rocket 3.

[0031] The hot air balloon recovery system 1 includes at least: a balloon system 11, a burner system 12, and a control system 13.

[0032] The balloon system 11 includes at least: a balloon 111, a balloon connector 112, a skirt ring 113, and a balloon protective shell. A balloon exhaust valve 114 and a balloon pressure sensor 115 are located at the top of the balloon 111; the balloon protective shell, the balloon exhaust valve 114, and the balloon pressure sensor 115 are all connected to the control system 12. One end of the balloon connector 112 is connected to the top of the first-stage rocket 2, and the other end of the balloon connector 112 is connected to one end of the skirt ring 113; the other end of the skirt ring 113 is connected to the bottom end of the balloon 111; the balloon protective shell is located in the interstage section between the first and second stages. Before the first-stage rocket 2 separates from the upper-stage rocket 3, the balloon connector 112, the skirt ring 113, and the balloon 111 are all folded and encapsulated within the balloon protective shell.

[0033] The burner system 12 includes at least: a burner 121, a propellant delivery pipeline 122, and a pipeline control valve 123; the burner 121 is connected to the reducing agent delivery system of the first-stage rocket 2 through the propellant delivery pipeline 122; the pipeline control valve 123 is installed on the propellant delivery pipeline 122 and is located between the burner 121 and the reducing agent delivery system; the burner 121 and the pipeline control valve 123 are connected to the control system 13.

[0034] Control system 13: Used to monitor the speed, attitude, and position information of the first-stage rocket 2. When the first-stage rocket 2 descends to a preset altitude threshold, it controls the opening of the balloon protective shell; receives the balloon pressure inside the balloon 111 collected by the balloon pressure sensor 115. When the balloon pressure is greater than a preset pressure threshold, it controls the burner 121 to work and the pipeline control valve 123 to open to heat the air inside the balloon 111; monitors the near-Earth distance of the first-stage rocket 2. When the near-Earth distance is less than a preset near-Earth distance threshold, it controls the opening and closing degree of the pipeline control valve 123 and the opening and closing degree of the balloon exhaust valve 114 to enable the first-stage rocket 2 to be recovered.

[0035] Specifically, the propellant delivery line 122 is used to deliver the reducing agent (i.e., fuel) in the rocket propellant, while the oxidizer is provided by oxygen from the air. After the line control valve 123 is opened, the burner system 12 utilizes the reducing agent delivery system (i.e., pressurized delivery system or pump system) of the first-stage rocket 2 to deliver the propellant (i.e., fuel) into the burner 121 at the required flow rate for combustion, thereby heating the air in the parachute 111. The flow rate of the delivered propellant depends on the opening degree of the line control valve 123; the larger the opening degree, the larger the flow rate.

[0036] Furthermore, the control system 13 includes at least: a first-stage onboard sensor, a rangefinder 131, a wind direction and speed meter 132, a ball parachute valve control cable 133, and an onboard computer 134.

[0037] Among them, the onboard sensors of the first stage rocket are used to collect the velocity, attitude and position information of the first stage rocket 2 in real time, and send the velocity, attitude and position information of the first stage rocket 2 as rocket body information to the onboard computer 134.

[0038] Rangefinder 131: Used to measure the near-Earth distance of the first-stage rocket 2 in real time and send the near-Earth distance to the onboard computer 134.

[0039] Anemometer 132: Used to measure the horizontal wind direction and wind speed at the altitude of the first-stage rocket 2 in real time, and send the altitude, horizontal wind direction and wind speed as wind direction information to the onboard computer 134.

[0040] The ball parachute valve control cable 133 is connected to the onboard computer 134 and the ball parachute exhaust valve 114 respectively. The onboard computer 134 adjusts the opening and closing degree of the ball parachute exhaust valve 114 through the ball parachute valve control cable 133.

[0041] The onboard computer 134 monitors the descent altitude of the first-stage rocket 2 based on the received rocket body information. When the first-stage rocket 2 descends to a preset altitude threshold, it controls the balloon protective shell to open. It receives the balloon pressure inside the balloon 111 collected by the balloon pressure sensor 115. When the balloon pressure is greater than a preset pressure threshold, it controls the burner 121 to operate and the pipeline control valve 123 to open to heat the air inside the balloon 111. It adjusts the opening degree of the balloon exhaust valve 114 and / or the pipeline control valve 123 based on the near-ground distance and / or wind direction information, thereby adjusting the return speed of the first-stage rocket 2.

[0042] Specifically, the onboard computer 134 is the core of the control system 13. The onboard computer 134 receives signals from various sensors (e.g., parachute pressure sensor 115, first-stage onboard sensors, rangefinder 131, and anemometer 132), and controls various systems (e.g., balloon system 11 and burner system 12) based on these signals. For example, the onboard computer 134 controls the opening and closing degree of the parachute exhaust valve 114 via the parachute valve control cable 133, changing the rate of hot air discharge from the parachute 111 (i.e., the balloon), thereby controlling the descent rate of the first-stage rocket 2 or enabling the first-stage rocket 2 to float. The larger the opening degree of the parachute exhaust valve 114, the greater the rate of hot air discharge from the parachute 111. Furthermore, the onboard computer 134 can also control the opening and closing degree of the valve 123 via the control pipeline to change the flow rate of propellant into the burner 121, thereby achieving auxiliary control of the descent rate of the parachute 111.

[0043] Furthermore, the rangefinder 131 is disposed at the bottom of the first-stage rocket 2, but is not limited to being disposed at the bottom of the first-stage rocket 2. In this application, it is preferably disposed at the bottom of the first-stage rocket 2, which can improve the measurement accuracy.

[0044] Furthermore, the wind direction and speed meter 132 is installed on the top of the first-stage rocket 2, but is not limited to being installed on the top of the first-stage rocket 2. In this application, it is preferably installed on the top of the first-stage rocket 2, which can improve the accuracy of the collected data.

[0045] Furthermore, the onboard computer 134 is located on top of the first-stage rocket 2 and inside the first-stage rocket 2, but is not limited to being located on top of the first-stage rocket 2 and inside the first-stage rocket 2.

[0046] Furthermore, the parachute connector 112 is a cable, but not limited to a cable; in this application, a cable is preferred.

[0047] Furthermore, the skirt ring 113 is made of nylon coated with a special heat-insulating material, but is not limited to nylon coated with a special heat-insulating material. In this application, it is preferably made of nylon coated with a special heat-insulating material, which can isolate the heat generated by the burner 121 and prevent the ball umbrella 111 from being ignited by the burner 121.

[0048] Furthermore, the umbrella 111 is made of reinforced nylon, but not limited to reinforced nylon. In this application, it is preferably made of reinforced nylon, which has the characteristics of being lightweight and high-strength, and can meet the airtightness requirements of the umbrella 111, through which the hot air heated by the burner 121 is stored.

[0049] Furthermore, after the first-stage rocket 2 separates from the upper-stage rocket 3 (i.e., during the return and recovery process), the attitude control system of the first-stage rocket 2 is used to adjust the attitude, so that the hot air balloon recovery system 1 is always located on the side of the first-stage rocket 2 away from the ground.

[0050] like Figure 6 As shown, this application provides a recovery method for the aforementioned liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery. The method includes the following steps:

[0051] S1: Before the first stage rocket separates from the upper stage rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system is inactive, the burner system is off, and the control system is off.

[0052] Specifically, when the hot air balloon recovery system is inactive, the balloon parachute connector 112, skirt ring 113, and balloon parachute 111 are all folded and encapsulated inside the balloon protective shell.

[0053] S2: After the first-stage rocket separates from the upper-stage rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system enters standby mode, the control system is activated, and the rocket body information is collected through the sensors on the first-stage rocket and sent to the onboard computer.

[0054] Specifically, the control system is activated, and the onboard computer is activated.

[0055] S3: The onboard computer monitors the descent altitude of the first-stage rocket based on the received rocket body information. When the first-stage rocket descends to the preset altitude threshold, it controls the balloon protective shell to open, causing the parachute connector, skirt ring, and parachute to pop out of the balloon protective shell. The parachute exhaust valve is in the closed state, and the air wake from the upper part of the first-stage rocket enters the parachute through the skirt ring, and the parachute deploys.

[0056] Specifically, the exact altitude threshold value is determined based on the actual situation. When the descent altitude of the first-stage rocket reaches or exceeds the preset altitude threshold value, the onboard computer controls the balloon protective shell to open, causing the parachute connector, skirt ring, and parachute to eject from the balloon protective shell. The air exhaust from the upper part of the first-stage rocket enters the parachute through the skirt ring. Since the parachute exhaust valve is closed, the parachute is airtight. The air entering the parachute through the skirt ring will increase the internal pressure of the parachute and gradually open it. At this time, the hot air balloon recovery system 1 decelerates the first-stage rocket through the air resistance acting on the parachute.

[0057] S4: The balloon pressure sensor collects the balloon pressure inside the balloon and sends the balloon pressure to the onboard computer. When the balloon pressure is greater than the preset pressure threshold, the onboard computer controls the burner to work and the pipeline control valve to open. The propellant in the reducing agent delivery system enters the burner, the burner ignites, and heats the air inside the balloon.

[0058] Specifically, the exact pressure threshold value depends on the actual situation. When the pressure in the balloon measured by the balloon pressure sensor inside the balloon exceeds the preset pressure threshold, the burner activates, the pipeline control valves open, and the propellant is delivered into the burner through the first-stage rocket's own reducing agent delivery system. The burner ignites, thereby heating the air inside the balloon. At this time, the first-stage rocket decelerates under the combined effect of air resistance and buoyancy.

[0059] S5: The anemometer measures wind direction information and sends it to the onboard computer; the rangefinder measures the near-ground distance and sends it to the onboard computer; the onboard computer adjusts the opening and closing degree of the parachute exhaust valve and / or pipeline control valve according to the near-ground distance and / or wind direction information, thereby adjusting the return speed of the first-stage rocket.

[0060] Specifically, when the rangefinder at the bottom of the first-stage rocket measures the near-Earth distance between the rocket and the ground to be less than a preset near-Earth threshold, the onboard computer will continuously adjust the opening and closing of the pipeline control valves and the parachute valves, ultimately causing the first-stage rocket to return to the ground at a near-zero speed, thus completing the recovery. The near-Earth threshold is set according to the actual situation.

[0061] Furthermore, when the first-stage rocket is a small-sized rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system suspends the first-stage rocket at a set altitude and transmits the rocket body information collected by the sensors on the first-stage rocket to the ground control station. The ground control station determines the capture position based on the rocket body information and directs the spacecraft to capture the first-stage rocket based on the capture position. After the spacecraft completes the capture, the onboard computer closes the pipeline control valves and extinguishes the burner, while the parachute exhaust valve is fully opened to expel the hot air inside the parachute, thus completing the recovery of the first-stage rocket.

[0062] Specifically, for smaller rockets (i.e., launch vehicles with a diameter of less than 3 meters and a mass of less than 100 tons), the hot air balloon recovery system can suspend the first-stage rocket at a certain altitude. The ground control station, combining predictions from the first-stage rocket's design phase with telemetry data returned by onboard sensors, determines the rocket's location and directs an aircraft (e.g., a transport helicopter) to capture it. At that moment, the onboard computer in the control system closes valve 123, extinguishing the burner; simultaneously, the parachute exhaust valve is fully opened to expel the hot air from inside the parachute, facilitating the recovery of the first-stage rocket.

[0063] Furthermore, when the first-stage rocket is a large-sized rocket, the onboard computer determines the horizontal wind direction based on wind information. If the horizontal wind direction is unfavorable for rocket recovery, the onboard computer reduces the buoyancy by controlling the opening of the parachute exhaust valve and the closing of the control pipeline valve, causing the first-stage rocket to descend rapidly. If the horizontal wind direction is favorable for rocket recovery, the onboard computer increases the buoyancy generated by the hot air balloon recovery system by controlling the closing of the parachute exhaust valve and the opening of the control pipeline valve, ultimately suspending the first-stage rocket in the air to utilize the horizontal airflow for recovery.

[0064] Specifically, larger rockets (i.e., launch vehicles with a diameter greater than 3 meters and a mass exceeding 100 tons) cannot be captured by the spacecraft. An anemometer transmits the real-time horizontal wind direction and speed at the altitude of the first-stage rocket to the onboard computer. When the onboard computer determines that the horizontal wind direction is unfavorable for rocket recovery, it reduces buoyancy by opening the parachute exhaust valve and closing the pipeline control valves, causing the rocket to descend rapidly and minimizing the impact of the airflow at the landing point. When the rocket encounters favorable airflow during its descent, the onboard computer closes the parachute exhaust valve and opens the pipeline control valves to increase the buoyancy generated by the hot air balloon recovery system, ultimately suspending the rocket in the air for recovery using the horizontal airflow.

[0065] The beneficial effects achieved by this application are as follows:

[0066] (1) The liquid launch vehicle and recovery method based on hot air balloon recovery in this application is a novel liquid launch vehicle and recovery method, which can safely recover the rocket while having a small loss of carrying capacity and randomness of landing point.

[0067] (2) The technical difficulty of the liquid launch vehicle and recovery method based on hot air balloon recovery in this application is far lower than that of the first-stage liquid launch vehicle recovery scheme of vertical take-off and landing recovery system; at the same time, the hot air balloon recovery system of this application only needs fuel in the rocket propellant during operation and can operate normally without oxidizer (liquid oxygen). Therefore, compared with the vertical recovery system, this application has a smaller impact on the carrying capacity, that is: the carrying capacity of the liquid launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery in this application is greater.

[0068] (3) The hot air balloon recovery system of this application can adjust the rocket's descent speed or make the rocket hover. Therefore, compared with the existing parachute recovery scheme, the recovery method of this application reduces the randomness of the landing point.

[0069] (4) The fact that the hot air balloon recovery system of this application can achieve hovering means that the hot air balloon recovery system can make the rocket fall slowly to the ground. Therefore, the rocket no longer needs a buffer device like the parachute recovery scheme or the vertical take-off and landing recovery scheme, which further reduces the loss of rocket carrying capacity.

[0070] Although preferred embodiments of this application have been described, those skilled in the art, upon learning the basic inventive concept, can make other changes and modifications to these embodiments. Therefore, the scope of protection of this application is intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments as well as all changes and modifications falling within the scope of this application. Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various alterations and variations to this application without departing from the spirit and scope of this application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of this application fall within the scope of protection of this application and its equivalents, this application also intends to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery, characterized in that, include: Hot air balloon recovery system, first-stage rocket and upper-stage rocket; The hot air balloon recovery system includes at least: a balloon system, a burner system, and a control system; The balloon system includes at least: a balloon umbrella, a balloon umbrella connector, a skirt ring, and a balloon protective shell; the top of the balloon umbrella is equipped with a balloon umbrella vent valve and a balloon umbrella pressure sensor; the balloon protective shell, the balloon umbrella vent valve, and the balloon umbrella pressure sensor are all connected to the control system; One end of the parachute connector is connected to the top of the first-stage rocket, and the other end of the parachute connector is connected to one end of the skirt ring; the other end of the skirt ring is connected to the bottom of the parachute. The balloon protective shell is located in the interstage section between the first and second stages. Before the first stage rocket separates from the upper stage rocket, the parachute connector, skirt ring and parachute are all folded and sealed inside the balloon protective shell. A burner system includes at least: a burner, a fuel delivery pipeline, and pipeline control valves; The burner is connected to the reducing agent delivery system of the first-stage rocket via a propellant delivery pipeline; the pipeline control valve is located on the propellant delivery pipeline and between the burner and the reducing agent delivery system. The burner and piping control valves are connected to the control system; Control system: Used to monitor the speed, attitude and position information of the first stage rocket. When the first stage rocket descends to the preset altitude threshold, it controls the opening of the protective shell. The system receives the balloon pressure inside the balloon from the balloon pressure sensor. When the balloon pressure exceeds a preset pressure threshold, it controls the burner to operate and the pipeline control valve to open, so as to heat the air inside the balloon. The system monitors the near-Earth distance of the first-stage rocket. When the near-Earth distance is less than the preset near-Earth distance threshold, it controls the opening and closing of the valves in the control pipeline and the opening and closing of the parachute exhaust valve to enable the first-stage rocket to be recovered.

2. The liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control system includes at least: a first-stage onboard sensor, a rangefinder, a wind direction and speed meter, a ball parachute valve control cable, and an onboard computer; Among them, the onboard sensors of the first stage rocket are used to collect the speed, attitude and position information of the first stage rocket in real time, and send the speed, attitude and position information of the first stage rocket as rocket body information to the onboard computer. Rangefinder: Used to measure the near-Earth distance of the first-stage rocket in real time and send the near-Earth distance to the onboard computer; Anemometer: Used to measure the horizontal wind direction and speed at the altitude of the first-stage rocket in real time, and send the altitude, horizontal wind direction and wind speed as wind direction information to the onboard computer. The control cable for the ball parachute valve is connected to the onboard computer and the ball parachute exhaust valve respectively. The onboard computer adjusts the opening and closing degree of the ball parachute exhaust valve through the control cable. The onboard computer monitors the descent altitude of the first-stage rocket based on received rocket body information. When the first-stage rocket descends to a preset altitude threshold, it controls the opening of the protective shell of the parachute. It receives the pressure inside the parachute from the parachute pressure sensor. When the pressure inside the parachute exceeds a preset pressure threshold, it controls the burner to operate and the pipeline control valves to open to heat the air inside the parachute. It adjusts the opening and closing degree of the parachute exhaust valve and / or pipeline control valves based on the near-ground distance and / or wind direction information, thereby regulating the return speed of the first-stage rocket.

3. The liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery according to claim 2, characterized in that, The rangefinder is located at the bottom of the first-stage rocket.

4. The liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery according to claim 2, characterized in that, The wind direction and speed meter is located on top of the first-stage rocket.

5. The liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The parachute connector is a cable.

6. The liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The skirt ring is made of nylon coated with a special heat-insulating material.

7. The liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery according to claim 1, characterized in that, The umbrella is made of reinforced nylon.

8. A recycling method, characterized in that, Applied to the liquid-fueled launch vehicle based on hot air balloon recovery as described in any one of claims 1-7, the method comprises the following steps: S1: Before the first stage rocket separates from the upper stage rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system is inactive, the burner system is off, and the control system is off. S2: After the first-stage rocket separates from the upper-stage rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system enters standby mode, the control system is activated, and the rocket body information is collected through the sensors on the first-stage rocket and sent to the onboard computer. S3: The onboard computer monitors the descent altitude of the first-stage rocket based on the received rocket body information. When the first-stage rocket descends to the preset altitude threshold, it controls the balloon protective shell to open, causing the parachute connector, skirt ring, and parachute to pop out from the balloon protective shell. The parachute exhaust valve is in the closed state, and the air wake at the top of the first-stage rocket enters the parachute through the skirt ring, and the parachute deploys. S4: The balloon pressure sensor collects the balloon pressure inside the balloon and sends the balloon pressure to the onboard computer. When the balloon pressure is greater than the preset pressure threshold, the onboard computer controls the burner to work and the pipeline control valve to open. The propellant in the reducing agent delivery system enters the burner, the burner ignites, and heats the air inside the balloon. S5: The anemometer measures wind direction information and sends it to the onboard computer; the rangefinder measures the near-ground distance and sends it to the onboard computer; the onboard computer adjusts the opening and closing degree of the parachute exhaust valve and / or pipeline control valve according to the near-ground distance and / or wind direction information, thereby adjusting the return speed of the first-stage rocket.

9. The recycling method according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the first-stage rocket is a small-sized rocket, the hot air balloon recovery system suspends it at a set altitude and transmits the rocket body information collected by the onboard sensors to the ground control station. The ground control station determines the capture position based on the rocket body information and directs the spacecraft to capture the first-stage rocket. After the spacecraft completes the capture, the onboard computer closes the pipeline control valves and extinguishes the burner, while the parachute exhaust valve is fully opened to expel the hot air inside the parachute, thus completing the recovery of the first-stage rocket.

10. The recycling method according to claim 8, characterized in that, When the first-stage rocket is a large-sized rocket, the onboard computer determines the horizontal wind direction based on wind information. If the horizontal wind direction is unfavorable for rocket recovery, the onboard computer reduces the buoyancy by controlling the opening of the parachute exhaust valve and the closing of the control pipeline valve, causing the first-stage rocket to descend rapidly. If the horizontal wind direction is favorable for rocket recovery, the onboard computer increases the buoyancy generated by the hot air balloon recovery system by controlling the closing of the parachute exhaust valve and the opening of the control pipeline valve, ultimately suspending the first-stage rocket in the air to utilize the horizontal airflow for recovery.

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