Reusable Booster Configuration

The novel rocket design I proposed earlier required boosters to takeoff and reach certain speed so that the rocket’s first stage could generate enough thrust to maintain its own flight. The boosters would operate only for a limited amount of time and the flight trajectory would be mainly vertical. I thought of a reusable booster configuration that satisfy these requirements.

In order to simplify the design, I thought of storing the fuel and the oxidizer in pressurized form. This removes the need for turbopumps and pre-burners to heat the cryogenic fluids. There would be a combustion chamber to increase the burning efficiency of the fuel. There would be a small nozzle after the combustion chamber without regenerative cooling. The nozzle would be surrounded by a ducted nozzle to allow bypass air. This would increase the specific impulse of the rocket while the booster would only operate at denser part of the atmosphere where bypass air would be more effective. The duct would be behind the fuselage of the rocket and would pose almost no drag. This approach would also be used on the first stage rocket I proposed earlier where the duct would protrude behind the rocket, which would induce drag.

The pressure tanks of the rocket would be separated into two or three sections to maintain high pressure. A small amount of propellant would be saved as reserve to be used during landing back on the launch platform. Boosters would be strapped to the rocket in a configuration of four. This would generate enough thrust for takeoff. Additionally, this form would help the boosters land safely and more easily on the launch platform without wings and similar extensions.