Soft capture, retention and landing of spacecraft by vertical take-off and landing vehicle

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and method for softly capturing, preserving and landing a spacecraft returning from space using a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) aircraft, including drones and helicopters. The spacecraft is decelerated by a parachute. One or more vertical take-off and landing drones deliver a watertight pocket to meet and capture the descending spacecraft in the air. The spacecraft is thus protected in the pocket and continues to descend, then softly lands on the water. In another example, a recovery helicopter, a vertical take-off and landing aircraft with a high load-bearing capacity, is used to directly capture the returning spacecraft. One or more vertical take-off and landing drones are connected to the bottom end of a recovery cable suspended from a helicopter. These drones carry grappling hooks that quickly and accurately capture the descending spacecraft directly without hindering the parachute. Therefore, the spacecraft is captured and preserved by the helicopter while maintaining the load-bearing function of the parachute.

Description

[0001] Priority claim of related application

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 440,428, filed on January 22, 2023, entitled “SOFT CAPTURE, PRESERVING AND LANDING OF SPACE VEHICLES”; and the benefit of U.S. Non-Provisional Patent Application No. 18 / 207,649, filed on June 8, 2023, entitled “VTOL AIRCRAFT-CONDUCTED SOFTCAPTURE, PRESERVING AND LANDING OF SPACECRAFTS”. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates to general spacecraft recovery, and more particularly to systems and methods for softly capturing a spacecraft returning from space using a vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) vehicle, protecting the spacecraft from damage, and softly landing the spacecraft on a water surface. The spacecraft may be the first stage, the second stage, or other stage of a rocket, or may be other spacecraft or its components. Background Art

[0004] The demand for exploring and utilizing outer space is increasing. However, the cost of launching spacecraft to send satellites, humans or other payloads into space is huge, mainly due to the complexity of manufacturing rockets and other spacecraft. An effective way to reduce costs is to reuse these rockets or other spacecraft.

[0005] NASA was able to reuse its space shuttles by flying them back to the ground. However, it was very expensive and time-consuming to repair the returned space shuttles for subsequent flights. Therefore, NASA retired these space shuttles. U.S. Patent 8678321 discloses a method of recovering the first-stage rocket using power propellant and guidance hardware to land the rocket at a designated location. Subsequently, Blue Origin and SpaceX successfully landed the first-stage rocket by re-igniting the engine using the retained fuel to slow down the rocket, and using vector engines, nitrogen or other fluid injectors and grid wings to guide the landing to the designated location. This powered landing consumes a lot of fuel, which greatly reduces the launch payload. For example, the payload capacity of the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket is 22.8 tons (normal launch to low Earth orbit (LEO)) and 8.30 tons (launch to geostationary transfer orbit (GTO)), but if the first-stage rocket is powered to land for reuse, the loss of normal payload will be about 30%. If the rocket is powered to land back to the launch site, the payload loss will be higher, reaching about 50%. Unpowered landing methods using parachutes can save fuel for atmospheric entry ignition and landing ignition to obtain higher launch payloads. Parachute landings have been successfully used for landing crew and cargo capsules on land and sea. This is mainly because these capsules are usually short and rockets are usually high. For example, the first stage of SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket is a cylinder about 40 meters long, and its diameter is only 3.66 meters. It is very challenging to land such a long, heavy, and delicate device on land or other hard surfaces such as ship decks using parachutes. The ocean and other water surfaces are good buffers for soft landings. But water and salt can cause serious damage to engines, especially liquid fuel engines. U.S. Patents 4961550, 5328132, 6476776, and 11305895B1 disclose complex devices attached to rockets to protect engines from water and salt damage. The complexity of these devices makes it difficult to repair them later, and the accessories on the rocket add extra weight to the launch. In addition, these airborne devices may have to withstand high temperatures during launch and landing. U.S. Patent 2006 / 0049316A1 and Patent 6824102B2 disclose aerial recovery methods that use a helicopter to capture a rocket that has been decelerated by a parachute. Rocket Lab has experimented with a similar method. A towing cable extends from the canopy of a parachute or parafoil through a small buoy parachute. A hook is attached to the bottom end of a recovery cable suspended from a helicopter. The hook hooks the towing cable along the small buoy parachute. Thus, the helicopter captures the rocket or other spacecraft through the connection of the recovery cable and the towing cable. This capture collapses the parachute and places the entire weight of the rocket on the helicopter's lift. This aerial recovery method is very challenging because the time window for successful capture is very short, only a few minutes, and the helicopter has limited load-bearing capacity. Summary of the invention

[0006] Rockets and other spacecraft are very expensive. Therefore, it is desirable to reuse these spacecraft to reduce costs. The present invention discloses systems and methods for using vertical take-off and landing vehicles (including drones and helicopters) to softly capture, preserve and land spacecraft for later reuse. The returning spacecraft is decelerated by one or more parachutes for safe landing. This unpowered deceleration using parachutes can greatly increase the launch payload. However, passive landing using parachutes cannot control the attitude and descent trajectory of the spacecraft. Although many successes have been achieved in landing very short space capsules on grasslands and deserts, it is very challenging to adjust the attitude of tall and thin rockets on hard surfaces. Any slight tilt of the rocket will cause it to fall, and if the rocket falls on land or a ship deck or other hard surface, it will cause catastrophic damage to the rocket. Therefore, the present invention uses a method to land the spacecraft on the sea or other water surface. In order to protect the spacecraft from damage by water and salt, a sturdy waterproof pocket is used to protect the spacecraft. The pocket is made of a flexible but sturdy, waterproof, airtight and heat-resistant material, such as plastic, rubber, carbon fiber or other materials or any combination of these materials. The pocket has a large opening to receive the spacecraft and a closed bottom to protect the spacecraft inside. An example of a pocket can be a funnel shape with a conical opening and a cylindrical closed bottom to capture a cylindrical rocket. The pocket is carried by a VTOL vertical take-off and landing transport drone to capture the returning rocket in the air. The drone is equipped with a GPS and / or other positioning system and / or camera. Guided by the positioning information of the drone and the positioning information of the returning rocket, the drone flies with the pocket, meets the returning rocket and captures the rocket from the bottom to the top. The rocket protected by the pocket will continue to descend with the parachute and gently splash down on the sea or other water surface. In this example, there is an airbag at the opening of the pocket, which is filled with a gas lighter than air, such as helium. The airbag will keep the pocket mouth above the sea or other water surface to prevent water from entering the pocket, thereby protecting the rocket. In addition to the funnel shape, pockets of other shapes can also be used to isolate the returning spacecraft from the water and provide a soft landing. In addition to drones and other aircraft, ships or other sailing tools can also be used to carry pockets to meet and capture the returning spacecraft. In order to protect the pocket from damage caused by the residual heat of the engine and the heat generated by entering the atmosphere at high speed, one or more VTOL vertical take-off and landing protection drones equipped with water tanks can be used to spray water to cool the fuselage and other components of the returning rocket or other spacecraft. A protective cage can also be installed at the bottom of the pocket or rocket to protect the liquid engine from splashing into the ocean or other water surface. After capturing the returning spacecraft, the transport drone will release the pocket, and the pocket containing the spacecraft will continue to descend vertically and softly land on the ocean or other water surface.

[0007] In another example, a recovery helicopter (a VTOL vertical take-off and landing vehicle with a high payload capacity) is used to capture the spacecraft after the spacecraft has been decelerated by a parachute. The recovery cable is hung from the helicopter and captures the spacecraft directly without hindering the load-bearing function of the parachute. As the helicopter flies forward, the parachute will remain inflated and maintain lift on the spacecraft. In order to quickly and accurately capture the rocket with a helicopter in a short period of time, one or more VTOL vertical take-off and landing connection drones are used to connect the recovery cable and the spacecraft. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a pocket for receiving a spacecraft. The pocket is suitable for a spacecraft in the first stage or other stages of a long cylindrical rocket.

[0009] Figure 2 Display of VTOL transport drone carrying Figure 1 Middle pocket, catches rocket slowed down by parachute.

[0010] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Cross-sectional view of a pocket in a container falling into the sea or other body of water with a captured rocket inside.

[0011] Figure 4 is another example of a pocket used to capture a parachute-decelerated rocket on the water surface.

[0012] Figure 5A yes Figure 2 The VTOL transport drone shown is used for transportation Figure 1 and Figure 4 Pocket shown.

[0013] Figure 5B It is a vertical take-off and landing protection drone equipped with a tank for water or other protective fluids to spray and protect the landing spacecraft.

[0014] Fig. 6A is a perspective view of the protective cage that will be mounted to the bottom of the pocket.

[0015] Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view of the pocket, showing Fig. 6A A protective cage is attached to its base while a rocket captured by the pocket approaches the cage.

[0016] Figure 6C The rocket is shown being captured at Figure 6B The protective cage is positioned within the pocket of the device and over the protective cage without touching the bottom of the pocket.

[0017] Fig. 7A is another example of a protective cage with connectors for attachment to a rocket.

[0018] Figure 7B Shows Fig. 7A The protective cage is mounted on the rocket in its original upward position for launch mode, with the top panel shown in perspective and the bottom panel shown looking down.

[0019] Figure 7C Shows Figure 7B The protective cage is pushed to the downward position in landing mode.

[0020] Fig. 8A An example of a small pocket with an inner layer of water-reactive material used to capture a returning rocket is shown.

[0021] Figure 8B yes Fig. 8A A cross-section of the center pocket with the captured rocket sitting on a protective cage and the water-reactive material turning into a foam and adhesive to prevent water from entering the pocket.

[0022] Fig. 9A Another example of a pocket with a protective cage is shown (bottom image) that can be captured by a rocket with the grapple in open mode (top image).

[0023] Fig. 9B show Fig. 9A The pocket and protective cage in the rocket are grabbed and locked by the rocket's grappling hook.

[0024] Fig. 9C yes Fig. 9A Cross-sectional view of the pocket and protective cage.

[0025] Fig.10 A VTOL recovery helicopter is shown capturing a parachute-decelerated rocket, with the VTOL tethering drone connected to the bottom end of a recovery cable suspended from the helicopter via a tow cable extending from the rocket, while retaining the functionality of the parachute.

[0026] Fig.11 Shows Fig.10 The process of capturing a rocket involves a connected drone attached to a rocket-towed cable guided by a small buoy parachute, with the drone attached to the bottom of a recovery cable hanging from a helicopter.

[0027] Fig.12 The process of a VTOL recovery helicopter directly capturing a rocket decelerated by a parachute and maintaining the function of the parachute is shown, wherein a VTOL connection drone is connected to the bottom end of a recovery cable suspended from the helicopter, and the connection drone directly captures and connects to the rocket body.

[0028] Fig.13 Shows Fig.12The drone is attached to the bottom of a recovery cable hanging from a helicopter and directly captures and connects to the top of the rocket body. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0029] Before a spacecraft is launched, the flight trajectory of the spacecraft can be calculated. One or more recovery ships will be waiting at the expected landing area in the sea or other waters. A recovery helicopter may also be waiting at the expected landing area. After launch, the first stage of the rocket will usually separate from the other stages in low earth orbit and begin to fall to the earth. The other stages of the rocket may begin to return to the earth after delivering the payload. These first stage or other stages of the rocket or other spacecraft will fall to the earth at an increasingly faster speed due to gravity. The returning rocket may adjust its attitude and re-ignite to empty the remaining fuel for a safe landing later. This re-ignition burn will produce some deceleration. One or more parachutes will then be deployed to provide deceleration for the returning rocket or other spacecraft. These parachutes are designed according to the weight and shape of the spacecraft to achieve a safe and soft landing. The decelerated rocket or other spacecraft is equipped with GPS and / or other positioning systems to continuously report its position. In an advantageous embodiment, a group of VTOL vertical take-off and landing transport drones will be waiting on the recovery ship or other recovery vehicle at the landing area. The transport drone will carry a pocket and fly under the guidance of GPS and / or other positioning systems and / or cameras to meet and capture the returning spacecraft. The pocket has an opening in the same shape as the spacecraft and a closed bottom. The pocket is made of a flexible but strong material such as plastic, rubber, carbon fiber or other materials or combinations thereof. The pocket is soft to provide soft contact with the spacecraft. The pocket is strong to contain the spacecraft. The pocket is also waterproof, airtight and heat resistant.

[0030] Figure 1 is used to capture return rockets ( Figure 2 ) is an example of a funnel-shaped bag of a rocket. The bag 100 has an opening 101 for receiving a rocket. The conical portion 103 will allow the rocket to slide into a cylindrical portion 102 with a closed bottom 106. The inner diameter of the cylindrical portion 102 is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rocket. Therefore, the bag portion 102 will tightly wrap and protect the rocket. The mouth of the bag 100 also has an airbag 104. More airbags can be connected to the bag and used as floating pads and other uses to protect rockets or other spacecraft. The bag 100 can be moved by a drone ( Figure 2 )carry.

[0031] Figure 2The process of rocket 200 being captured by pocket 100 is shown. Rocket 200 is decelerated by parachute 201. Rocket 200 is equipped with GPS and / or other positioning systems. Its position is constantly sent to and received by VTOL transport drone 500. Drone 500 carries pocket 100 via cable 105 to meet and capture the returning rocket 200 from bottom to top. Rocket 200 is then wrapped and stored in pocket 100. The rocket will continue to descend and splash down on the sea 301 or other water surface ( Figure 3 ). The air bag 104 filled with helium or other types of air keeps the opening 101 of the bag 100 floating above the sea surface 301, thereby preventing water from entering the bag 100 and damaging the rocket 200.

[0032] Figure 4 Another example of a bag 400 is shown, which has a similarly large mouth 401 and a bottom 402. The closed bottom 402 provides a platform on the sea surface 403 or other water surface for the soft landing of the rocket 200. The air bag 404 enables the bag 400 to float on the water surface 403. When the rocket 200 contacts the bottom 402 of the bag 400, the nozzle 202 sprays nitrogen or other fluid to adjust the direction of the rocket 200 so that it can land on the bottom 402. The bag 400 is carried by a drone or a ship or other flying or sailing tool through a cable 405, and meets the rocket 200 under the guidance of GPS and / or other positioning systems and / or cameras.

[0033] Figure 5A A VTOL transport drone 500 is shown with a cable 105 (or 405) secured by a grappling hook 502 to carry a bag 100 or 400 or other example bag. After the bag is rendezvoused and the rocket is stored, the grappling hook 502 can be opened to release the bag. The rocket stored in the bag can continue to descend and land gently on the ocean or other water surface. A GPS system 506 and a camera 503 are equipped in the drone 500 to guide the bag to rendezvous with a rocket or other spacecraft. Component 501 is an example of a leg of the drone 500. Component 504 is an example of a motor, and 505 is an example of a blade.

[0034] When the returning spacecraft enters the atmosphere at high speed, the compressed air will generate temperatures as high as several thousand degrees Celsius. In order to protect the pocket from thermal damage from the returning rocket, Figure 5BAnother example of a VTOL protection drone 510 is shown. The drone is equipped with a water tank 511 filled with water or other protective fluid. Controlled nozzles 512 can be controlled to spray water onto the fuselage and other components of the returning rocket to cool them without causing damage. Guided by GPS 516 and camera system 513, the drone flies toward the rocket and sprays water to cool the rocket before it contacts pocket 100, 400 or other pocket instances. Component 514 is an example motor and component 515 is an example blade. The rocket's engines are heated during re-entry and may rupture and be damaged by sudden, uncontrolled impacts and immersion in large amounts of water; the drone 510's controlled water spray will cool the rocket without damaging these engines.

[0035] In order to protect the rocket engine, especially the liquid-fuel engine, from possible physical impact when it contacts the pocket and splashes down on the water, a protective cage is fixed to the bottom of the pocket. Fig. 6A is an example of a protective cage 600 to be fixed to the bottom of the pocket. It has a top ring 601 and a bottom ring 604, whose outer diameter is the same as or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the rocket body. It has a connecting rod 602 to connect the top ring 601 and the bottom ring 604. A protective frame 603 is connected to the bottom ring 604. Figure 2 Similar to that shown, rocket 210 slides down into cylindrical portion 102 of the pocket. Figure 6B The rocket 210 is shown approaching the protective cage 600 on the bottom 106 of the pocket. Figure 6C The rocket 210 is shown in its final position on the protective cage 600, with its engine 211 not touching the bottom of the pocket.

[0036] Fig. 7A is another example of a protective cage 610. The protective cage 610 has a top ring 611 and a bottom ring 614, whose inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rocket. A connecting rod 612 connects 611 and 614. A bottom protective frame 613 is connected to the bottom ring 614. The protective frame 613 can prevent the engine 221 of the rocket 220 from directly contacting the pocket, thereby preventing the impact caused by splashing into the sea or other water surfaces. The joint 615 is used to connect the protective cage 610 to the rocket 220, such as Figure 7B shown. Figure 7B The top picture shows the initial position of the protective cage 610 in the rocket launch mode. The protective cage 610 is connected to the inner thrust rod 616 of the thruster through the joint 615, and thus connected to the rocket 220. The outer thrust rod 617 of the thruster is fixed to the rocket 220 through the joint 618. Figure 7B The top picture shows the initial position of the protective cage 610 in the rocket launch mode. Figure 7B The bottom picture is a bottom view of the rocket 220 and the protective cage 610. The protective frame 613 of the protective cage 610 is located between the engines 221. Figure 7CAs shown, in the landing mode of the rocket 220, the protection cage 610 together with its protection frame 613 is pushed downward by the inner push rod 616 of the thruster. Therefore, the bottom protection frame 613 prevents the engine 221 from directly contacting the bottom of the pocket, thereby preventing the impact caused by splashing into the ocean or other water surfaces. The thruster is driven by hydraulic or electric power.

[0037] The pocket 100 can well contain and protect the entire rocket, and the most complex and delicate part of the rocket is the engine, whose nozzle is shown as part 211 in FIG. 6 and part 221 in FIG. 7. FIG. 8 shows a small pocket 110 specifically for protecting the engine 211. In this example, the diameters of the mouth 111 and the cone 113 are smaller than the corresponding parts 101 and 103 of the pocket 100, and the height of the cylindrical part 112 is shorter than the corresponding part 102 of the pocket 100. A protective cage 620 similar to the protective cage 600 (FIG. 6) is attached to the bottom of the pocket 110, as shown in FIG. Figure 8B The protective cage 620 has a top ring 621 and a bottom ring 624, a connecting rod 622 connecting the top ring 621 and the bottom ring 624, and a protective frame 623 connected to the bottom ring 624. In order to prevent seawater or other water bodies entering the pocket 110 from damaging the engine 211, an adhesive layer 115 (including Figure 8B 115a, 115b and 115c) shown in the figure serve as the inner layer of the bag 110. The adhesive layer 115 is made of a material that forms foam and adhesive when it comes into contact with water. This mechanism was first used in the fuel tanks of World War II aircraft. When these tanks were hit, the leaking fuel reacted with the material, which quickly expanded and sealed the leak. Fig. 8A Portion 115a is shown before rocket 210 is captured. When rocket 210 is captured in pocket 110 ( Figure 8B ), protecting drones 510( Figure 5B ) Spray water to turn 115a into a sticky foam to wrap the rocket 210, such as Figure 8B As shown. When the rocket 210 splashes into the water with the bag 110, if there is water leakage through 115a, the inner part 115b will further expand into foam and adhere to the rocket body to prevent further leakage. The inner bottom layer 115c of the bottom 116 of the bag 110 will absorb more water leakage and expand to prevent further leakage and protect the engine 211. The transport drone 500 or other vertical take-off and landing aircraft uses the buckle 114 ( Fig. 8A ) by a method similar to Figure 1 105 or Figure 4 The cable 405 transports the bag 110 to meet with the rocket 210.

[0038] Figure 9 is another example of a small pocket specifically used to protect a rocket engine. Fig. 9AAs shown in the following figure, the small bag 120 has no tapered portion and is tightly attached to the protective cage 630. The protective cage 630 is similar to the protective cage 610 (FIG. 7) and the protective cage 620 (FIG. 8). Fig. 9C As shown in the cross-sectional view of , the protective cage 630 has a top ring 631 and a bottom ring 634, as well as a connecting rod 632 connecting 631 and 634, and a protective frame 633 connected to the bottom ring 634. 632a is a cross-sectional view of the connecting rod 632. The top ring 631 has a wide edge to firmly connect the small pocket 120 to prevent water from entering the small pocket through the gap between the small pocket 120 and the protective cage 630. The sealing O-ring 636 is made of an elastomer such as Viton and Buna-N, and is attached to the top ring 631. In order to tightly grasp and hold the small pocket 120 and the protective cage 630, the grappling hook 235 is fixed to the rocket 230 by a hinge 236 ( Fig. 9A , above). The grappling hook 235 is controlled by a thruster having an inner push rod 233 and an outer push rod 232. The thruster is fixed to the rocket 230 at a hinge 231. The grappling hook 235 is connected to the inner push rod 233 of the thruster at a hinge 234. The pocket 120 and the protective cage 630 are connected by the drone 500 ( Figure 5A ) or other vertical take-off and landing aircraft through the cable 105 ( Figure 1 ) or cable 405( Figure 4 ) Before being transported to the rocket 230 at the buckle 635, the inner push rod 233 of the thruster is in a retracted position, thereby raising the grappling hook 235 to grasp the bag 120 and the protective cage 630 ( Fig. 9A When the bag 120 and the protective cage 630 are transported to the bottom of the rocket 230 (as shown in FIG. Fig. 9B As shown), the inner push rod 233 extends to push the grappling hook 235 downward, thereby firmly locking the pocket 120 and the protective cage 630 to the bottom of the ring 631. The O-ring 636 will seal the gap between the protective cage 630 and the bottom of the rocket 230 to prevent water from entering the pocket and damaging the rocket's engine 237. The thrusters are driven by hydraulic or electric power.

[0039] In another example, a recovery helicopter, a VTOL vertical take-off and landing vehicle with a high payload capacity, is used to capture the returning spacecraft directly after the spacecraft has been decelerated by parachutes. Fig.10 200 is an example of the system, using a recovery helicopter 702 to capture a rocket 200 decelerated by a parachute 201. The towing cable 700 is directly connected to the top of the rocket 200 without interfering with the parachute 201. The small buoy parachute 701 is used to eject the towing cable 700 so that it can be captured by the recovery cable 703 suspended from the helicopter 702. In order to facilitate the recovery cable 703 to effectively capture the towing cable 700 at the ring 704, the present invention uses a VTOL vertical take-off and landing connection drone 520. Fig.11The process of connecting drone 520 capturing towing cable 700 at loop 704 is shown. A rigid inverted T-shaped rod 521 is fixed at the bottom of drone 520, and drone 520 is connected to helicopter 702 by the bottom end of recovery cable 703 through the joint 522 of the rod. A grappling hook 524 with a movable part 525 is provided at the other end of rod 521, which is controlled by controller 523. In order to capture rocket 200, recovery helicopter 702 carries connected drone 520 through recovery cable 703. At this time, drone 520 is not in flight mode. When the recovery helicopter approaches rocket 200 and towing cable 700 ejected by small buoy parachute 701, connected drone 520 is activated and flies to towing cable 700 under the guidance of GPS 526 and camera 527. Controller 523 keeps joint part 525 in open mode. When the grappling hook 524 grabs the loop 704 of the towing cable 700, the controller 523 will close 525 to maintain the connection with the loop 704 and the towing cable 700. The connected drone 520 will then stop the flight mode. The VTOL recovery helicopter 702 will capture the launch vehicle 200 or other spacecraft through the connected recovery cable 703 and the towing 700. The forward flight of the recovery helicopter 702 keeps the parachute 201 filled and continuously in function. Therefore, the parachute 201 will continue to provide lift for the rocket 200. The helicopter 702 will then transport the rocket 200 to the factory for repair with the continued support of the parachute 201 in preparation for the next flight.

[0040] Fig.12 and Fig.13 Another example of a VTOL recovery helicopter aerial recovery system is shown. The VTOL recovery helicopter 702 and the attached drone 520 directly capture the top of the rocket 200 or other spacecraft. Fig.13 The left side shows a cross-sectional view of a small portion of the top of the rocket 200. A handle 204 is provided on the top of the rocket 200. When the grappling hook 524 grabs the handle 204, the grappling hook portion 525 will close. The connecting drone 520 will release its flight mode, and the recovery helicopter 702 will transport the captured rocket 200 to a designated location for repair under the continuous support of the parachute in preparation for the next flight.

Claims

1. A system for soft capture, preservation and landing of a spacecraft returning from space, wherein the spacecraft includes but is not limited to the first stage, second stage or other stage of a rocket or its components, the system comprising: a deceleration system for decelerating a returning spacecraft to achieve a soft landing, wherein the deceleration system has no landing ignition; A protection system, comprising a pocket for capturing and preserving the spacecraft, the pocket being a watertight container, independent of the spacecraft and not physically connected to the spacecraft, the pocket finally landing directly on the water surface; A delivery system for carrying the pocket to merge with and capture the returning spacecraft, and to allow the spacecraft stored in the pocket to softly land on the water surface, wherein the delivery system will not prevent the pocket from landing directly on the water surface; as well as The water surface allows the pocket with the spacecraft to land directly, thereby acting as a direct buffer to absorb the impact of the landing spacecraft. The water surface is an ocean, a lake, an artificial pool or other open water surface that can accommodate the returning spacecraft.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the spacecraft has a GPS and / or other positioning system that continuously reports its position.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the deceleration system comprises one or more parachutes for decelerating the returning spacecraft to achieve a soft landing.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the shape of the pocket in the protection system is adapted to the shape of a returning spacecraft, the pocket having an opening to receive the spacecraft and a closed bottom to contain the spacecraft.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the pockets in the protection system are made of a strong, watertight, flexible, airtight, and heat-resistant material, including plastic, rubber, carbon fiber, or other materials or combinations thereof.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the pocket in the protection system has one or more air bladders to support the pocket above the sea or other water surface, wherein the air in the air bladder is normal air or a gas that is lighter than air.

7. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the delivery system includes one or more vertical take-off and landing vehicles, including but not limited to drones, for transporting the pocket to rendezvous and capture the returning spacecraft, and the vertical take-off and landing vehicles allow the pocket containing the spacecraft to descend and land directly on the water.

8. A system as described in claim 1, wherein the carrier system has a GPS and / or other positioning system and / or a camera for continuously receiving GPS and / or other positioning signals from the descending spacecraft, and using these positioning signals to guide the pocket to rendezvous with the spacecraft and capture it.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the protection system further comprises a protection cage fixed to the bottom of the pocket to protect the engine of the returning rocket from damage caused by physical impact of splashing into the sea or other water surface, and to prevent thermal damage that may be caused to the pocket by the returning rocket, the protection cage comprising: a top ring and a bottom ring having an outer diameter equal to or slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the rocket body so that the rocket is located on top of the protection cage, and a connecting rod for connecting the top ring and the bottom ring; and A protective frame, which is connected to the bottom ring, isolates the rocket motor from the bottom of the pocket.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the protection system comprises: A protection cage fixed to the bottom of the returning rocket to protect the engine of the returning rocket from the physical impact of splashing into the sea or other water surfaces, and to prevent the thermal damage that the returning rocket may cause to the pocket, wherein the protection cage can move up and down relative to the rocket, and the protection cage has a top ring and a bottom ring, whose inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of the rocket body to allow the protection cage to be in an upper position, and a connecting rod connecting the top ring and the bottom ring, and a protection frame connected to the bottom ring, wherein the protection frame is located between the engine nozzles, when the rocket is in the launch mode, the protection cage is pulled to the upper position, and the protection frame is hidden above the engine nozzle to avoid thermal damage caused by the burning flame, and when the rocket is in the landing mode, the protection cage is pushed to the lower position, and the protection frame is also pushed under the engine nozzle to isolate the rocket engine from the bottom of the pocket; The hinge connecting the cage to the rocket; and Thrusters connect the protection cage and the rocket, one end of each thruster is connected to the rocket and the other end is connected to the top ring of the protection cage, so that the thrusters can move the protection cage from an upper position above the engine nozzle to a lower position below the engine nozzle.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein the protection system is specifically used to protect the engine of the returning rocket, comprising: The pocket is used to capture and protect the bottom of the rocket with the engine; a protection cage, which is fixed to the bottom of the above-mentioned pocket, and includes a top ring and a bottom ring having a diameter slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the rocket body, and a connecting rod connecting the top ring and the bottom ring, and a protection frame connected to the bottom ring, for isolating the rocket engine from contact with the bottom of the pocket; The anti-leakage system prevents seawater or other water from entering the pocket through the gap between the pocket and the rocket and damaging the rocket engine.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the anti-leakage system comprises an inner layer in the pocket, wherein the inner layer is made of a material that expands into foam and adhesive when in contact with water to prevent water from entering the pocket and damaging the engine of the return rocket.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the anti-leakage system comprises: An O-type sealing ring made of elastic material, the O-type sealing ring is bonded to the top ring of the protection cage and is used to seal the gap between the protection cage and the captured rocket; Locking device for capturing and tightly locking the protective cage with the pocket and the rocket, comprising: Grappling hooks, used to grab and lock the protective cage and pocket, where one end of each grappling hook is connected to the rocket by a hinge and the other end is connected to and controlled by the thruster; as well as Thrusters, one end of each thruster is hinged to the rocket and the other end is hinged to the above-mentioned grappling hook, so that the inner push rod of each thruster retracts to open the grappling hook to grasp the protective cage and pocket, which extends to lock the protective cage and pocket.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the protection system further includes cooling and other protection by water or other protection fluid in a water tank carried by a drone or other vertical take-off and landing aircraft, including: One or more vertical take-off and landing vehicles equipped with GPS and / or other positioning systems and / or cameras to meet returning spacecraft; A water tank mounted on the vertical take-off and landing vehicle to store pure water or other protective fluids; and Control nozzles to control the spray of water or other protective fluids to cool and protect the returning spacecraft.

15. A system for meeting, capturing and securing an unpowered falling object from the air using a vertical take-off and landing vehicle and a transport container guided by a camera, GPS and / or other positioning system, comprising: One or more vertical take-off and landing vehicles equipped with cameras, GPS and / or other positioning systems; a container carried by the vertical take-off and landing vehicle for capturing falling objects; and The unpowered falling object is captured by the container carried by the above-mentioned vertical take-off and landing aircraft.

16. A system for capturing and protecting a parachute-decelerated spacecraft using a vertical take-off and landing recovery vehicle, the system being capable of capturing the parachute-decelerated spacecraft while maintaining the load-bearing function of the parachute, comprising: a deceleration system for decelerating the spacecraft to achieve a soft landing, wherein the deceleration system includes one or more parachutes and has no landing ignition; A vertical take-off and landing recovery vehicle for capturing a parachute-decelerated spacecraft, the vehicle being equipped with a GPS, and / or other positioning system and / or a camera to meet and capture the parachute-decelerated spacecraft; A recovery cable suspended from the vertical take-off and landing recovery vehicle to directly capture the spacecraft decelerated by a parachute, or to capture the drag cable directly ejected from a small buoy parachute on the spacecraft; and One or more vertical take-off and landing connection drones are connected to the bottom end of the above-mentioned recovery cable to make a quick and precise connection with the spacecraft decelerated by a parachute. They are directly connected to the spacecraft, or connected to a towing cable that is ejected directly from the spacecraft via a small buoy parachute.

17. The system as claimed in claim 16, wherein a long pole is fixed at the bottom of the vertical take-off and landing connected drone, the long pole is parallel to the plane where the drone blades are located, one end of the long pole is connected to the recovery cable of the vertical take-off and landing recovery aircraft, and the other end is provided with a control hook for directly grabbing the spacecraft or grabbing the towing cable popped out from the spacecraft, and the length of the long pole is greater than the span of the drone blades to prevent the drone blades from contacting the recovery cable or the spacecraft when the drone is in flight.

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