Granted Patent B2

US 12,515,823 · App. 18/433,097 · Granted Jan 6, 2026

Inventors: Emmanuel John Grillos, II (Kent, WA); Richard Donovan Jones (East Wenatchee, WA)

Assignee: Blue Origin Manufacturing, LLC

B64G1/62B63B35/50

Abstract

Claims (24)

1 . A rocket configured to descend in a terminal flight path having a non-vertical component, the rocket comprising:

a body extending along a longitudinal axis; and

at least one arm rotatably connected with the body and having at least one hook, the at least one arm configured to rotate in a plane tangential to an outer surface of the body, the at least one hook configured to engage a cable suspended at sea to suspend the rocket from the cable.

2 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the rocket is configured to descend in a terminal flight path having a glide slope of −45 degrees.

3 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the at least one arm is configured to be locked in an orientation that is substantially perpendicular to the direction of the terminal flight path.

4 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the arm is configured to rotate 360 degrees.

5 . The rocket of claim 1 , where the rocket comprises a control mixer configured to simultaneously command engine thrust of the rocket, Thrust Vector Control (TVC) angle of the rocket, and a forward thruster of the rocket.

6 . A method of receiving a descending rocket, the method comprising:

descending a rocket along a flight path having a non-vertical component with a nose of the rocket located higher than a nozzle of the rocket;

rotating an arm of the rocket in a plane tangential to an outer surface of a body of the rocket; and

engaging a hook of the arm with a cable suspended by a semisubmersible platform at sea.

7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising rotating the rocket to a substantially horizontal orientation.

8 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising decreasing a draft of the platform to raise the platform relative to sea level.

9 . The method of claim 7 , further comprising receiving a ship at least partially into a ship-receiving space of the platform and placing the horizontally-oriented rocket onto the ship.

10 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hook comprises a plurality of hooks arranged at a plurality of locations along the at least one arm.

11 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the at least one arm comprises a plurality of arms arranged around a circumference of the body of the rocket.

12 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the at least one arm comprises two arms diametrically arranged around the body of the rocket.

13 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the at least one hook comprises at least one self-closing hook.

14 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the at least one arm is rotatably connected with the body at a confluence of a longeron and a bulkhead frame of the rocket.

15 . The rocket of claim 1 , wherein the body comprises at least one forward fin at a cylindrical portion of the body, and wherein the at least one arm is rotatably connected with the body at a point on the body that is 45° from a location of the forward fin.

16 . The method of claim 6 , wherein the arm of the rocket is rotatably coupled to a body of the rocket.

17 . The method of claim 16 , wherein rotating the arm of the rocket comprises causing the arm to rotate from a stored position to a position where the arm is oriented substantially perpendicular to the direction of the flight path.

18 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the stored position comprises a position wherein a majority of a length of the arm is stored adjacent to a side of the body.

19 . The method of claim 17 , wherein the arm of the rocket is stored at the stored position at least during take-off or reentry of the rocket.

Assignments (2)

Continuity (2)

References Cited (45)