Paragliding rocket return

[Blackleaf99]

Is anyone working on a controlled Paragliding style recovery mechanism to bring a rocket back to the lift off point, or at least closer to it ?

I was thinking about a GPS receiver integrated with a CPU driving a series of control servos (or other mechanism) to modify a collapsable fabric wing to autonomously bring a rocket back to where its flight began.

If someone could get that to work, it could seriously revolutionize HP rocket recovery.

 

[OverTheTop]

A couple of threads from the Australian Forum. I found one, but I think there is another also.

https://forum.ausrocketry.com/viewtopic.php?f=32&t=2808

 

[Ravenex]

I have been working on this with an aim to make it commercial:

https://www.rocketryforum.com/showthread.php?p=1532086

Unfortunately it's been on hold for a while while I started my new company LiquidFyre Rocketry. I'm now getting ready to rebuild the parts a lost to the rocket gods with some significant upgrades. I'm also building a few stabilization bays for beta testers. Should be a fun summer.

 

[Blackleaf99]

It is nice to see someone is actually working on this and making progress.

Sport Rocketry, July/August 2019, page 48, NARCON 2019 Session: GPS Guided Recovery

 

[kuririn]

https://www.apogeerockets.com/blog/LatestNews/What-Are-We-Working-On-Today

See items 3 and 4.

 

[caveduck]

One or two ground-controlled RC Rogallo wings (fixed-spar triangular form) were done circa 40 years ago. It would be really interesting to see what people can do now with modern electronics + all that has been discovered about parafoils.

 

[OverTheTop]

There is a nice Rogallo glider above a Gemini capsule in the Smithsonian at Dulles airport (Udvar-Hazy Center). It was being looked at seriously for recovery. Interestingly our tour guide there had a claim to fame. As a young 19 year old hang glider pilot many years ago he managed to have a collision, unfortunately with non other than Mr Rogallo himself. How embarrassment , and slightly ironic .

 

[Bat-mite]

The Apogee one should be out as soon as they work the kinks out.

 

[Funkworks]

I haven't watched all of it yet, but I bet this March 2019 video from Apogee covers everything we'd want to know: