Catch space rockets using unmanned vehicles
Background
Recent developments by RocketLabs and SpaceX, seen in the videos below, has shown that recovering space rockets is not only possible, but tractable from both an economic and an environmental aspect.
| SpaceX | RocketLabs |
|---|---|
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To make this feasible for smaller/cheaper rockets it needs to be scaled down, and ideally utilize unmanned vehicles. Is this possible?
Scope
At this stage of the project, the focus will be on establishing suitable simulation models of the different components of the catch-system.
It is believed that to be able to catch the rocket using a (smaller) unmanned aerial vehicle, the parachute of the rocket still needs to carry some weight. An important part of assessing the feasibility of the solution is to analyze the dynamics of the parachute and its interaction with the aerial vehicle.
Contact
Contact supervisors Kristoffer Gryte, Artur Zolich and Tor Arne Johansen