{
  "patent_number": "US 10266282",
  "country": "US",
  "title": "How Rocket Rings Help Boosters Land Safely",
  "original_title": "Launch vehicles with ring-shaped external elements, and associated systems and methods",
  "summary": "Blue Origin's patent for a ring-shaped structure on a rocket that helps control airflow during descent and assists in separating rocket stages.",
  "what_it_does": "This patent describes an annular (ring-shaped) element attached to the exterior of a rocket. During the rocket's ascent, this ring is typically shielded by the upper stage to reduce drag. During descent, the ring acts as an aerodynamic stabilizer or flow-control device, allowing air to pass between the ring and the rocket body to help guide the booster as it returns to Earth. The patent also details how the ring can be used to manage exhaust flow during the separation of the first and second stages, potentially allowing for separation without complex mechanical actuators.",
  "what_it_does_not_cover": [
    "Does not cover general rocket landing legs or grid fins used for steering.",
    "Does not cover rockets that lack an annular or ring-shaped external structure.",
    "Does not cover methods of landing that rely solely on mechanical actuators for stage separation."
  ],
  "filed": "2016-11-03",
  "granted": "2019-04-23",
  "expires": null,
  "status": "active",
  "holder": "Blue Origin LLC",
  "holder_url": "https://patentbrief.org/company/blue-origin-llc",
  "inventors": [
    {
      "name": "Roger E. Ramsey",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/roger-e-ramsey"
    },
    {
      "name": "Eric David Wetzel",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/eric-david-wetzel"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mark Featherstone",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/mark-featherstone"
    },
    {
      "name": "John Michael Sanders",
      "url": "https://patentbrief.org/inventor/john-michael-sanders"
    }
  ],
  "times_cited": 1,
  "tags": [
    "aerospace",
    "mechanical"
  ],
  "abstract": "Launch vehicles with ring-shaped external elements, and associated systems and methods. An aerospace system in accordance with a particular embodiment includes a launch vehicle having a first end and a second end generally opposite the first end, with the launch vehicle being elongated along a vehicle axis extending between the first and second ends, and having an external, outwardly facing surface. The system can further include an annular element carried by the launch vehicle, the annular element having an external, inwardly-facing surface radially spaced apart from, and extending at least partially circumferentially around, the vehicle axis. The annular element can have a first edge surface facing a first direction along the vehicle axis, and a second edge surface facing a second direction along the vehicle axis, the second direction being opposite the first direction. A propulsion system can be carried by the launch vehicle, and can have at least one nozzle positioned toward the first end of the vehicle to launch the vehicle. A controller can be in communication with the launch vehicle and programmed to direct the vehicle in the first direction during vehicle ascent, and in the second direction during vehicle descent.",
  "url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10266282/crew-dragon-launch-escape-system",
  "markdown_url": "https://patentbrief.org/patent/us/10266282/crew-dragon-launch-escape-system/md",
  "google_patents_url": "https://patents.google.com/patent/US10266282",
  "relatedPatents": []
}