September 18, 2023

SUAI patented a method of landing an orbital aircraft using an ekranoplane

The developers claim that this will help to save the payload

According to the developers from the SUAI Department of Aerospace Measurement and Computing Systems, the method will allow to land an orbital aircraft at any point on a water and other flat surface. The four-dimensional landing trajectory of the orbital aircraft relative to the ekranoplane is set. The latter slightly increases the height of movement for a short time, after which both move so that soon their trajectories coincide in direction and converge in height. Then the orbital plane begins to dock with the ekranoplane, descends and catches up with it in the horizontal plane.

After their sufficient convergence, the ekranoplane cools the docking elements of the orbital aircraft and, with the help of a special manipulator, captures, presses against a special platform and ensures docking. So there is a joint landing on the water surface. At the end, the body is treated with a special liquid to remove the components of radioactive fuel.