Engineers from the Leonov University of Technology proposed equipping the Rokot rocket with an additional reusable first stage with six turbojet aircraft engines.
The stage, as designed by the experts, will also feature brake parachutes, a control system with a power supply unit, and a fuel tank. From the outside, it is planned to install two inflatable shock absorbers, tanks containing compressed helium and gas equipment on it. The first stage will accelerate Rokot by about 20 kilometers, after which the rocket will fly further using its own engines. The stage will return to Earth with the help of drag parachutes and three of the six engines that will operate in low thrust mode.
To use such a stage, Rokot needs to transfer fuel from toxic components – asymmetric dimethylhydrazine and nitrogen tetroxide – and replace them with oxygen and kerosene. The new stage will be refueled only for landing – to save money, the rest of the fuel will be poured into the first stage of the rocket itself.
It is planned to return to the scene using the Mi-26 helicopter. According to engineers, their development will be devoid of the shortcomings of the return stages of rockets belonging to SpaceX’s Elon Musk – the need for complex infrastructure and transport communications, as well as powerful lifting equipment.
Source: Ferra
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