Options for Future European Reusable Booster Stages: Evaluation and Comparison of VTHL and VTVL Return Methods

Options for Future European Reusable Booster Stages: Evaluation and Comparison of VTHL and VTVL Return Methods | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Options for Future European Reusable Booster Stages: Evaluation and Comparison of VTHL and VTVL Return Methods Sven Stappert, Ingrid Dietlein, Jascha Wilken, Leonid Bussler, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-3972618/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Nov, 2024 Read the published version in CEAS Space Journal → Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract In the past the majority of system studies on reusable space transportation performed within Europe focused on concepts relying on lift-generating wings for recovery. Recently, vertically landing concepts similar to those deployed successfully by SpaceX have moved to the center of technical attention. Both recovery and landing strategies have their pros and cons and it is not obvious what would be a sound choice for Europe. Therefore, the German Aerospace Center DLR initiated a parametric system study, named ENTRAIN, that evaluates the impact of different return options on the launcher design on a technical level: the vertical take-off, vertical landing method (VTVL) as used by SpaceX compared to the vertical take-off, horizontal landing (VTHL) method as used for the Space Shuttle. Within this study, launchers were designed using different propellant combinations, staging velocities and engine cycles. The designed launchers are evaluated in this paper regarding performance, technical difficulties, operational aspects, size, mass and complexity. Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 04 Nov, 2024 Read the published version in CEAS Space Journal → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 23 Jul, 2024 Reviews received at journal 23 Jul, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 03 Jul, 2024 Reviews received at journal 25 Mar, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Feb, 2024 Reviewers agreed at journal 26 Feb, 2024 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Feb, 2024 Editor assigned by journal 23 Feb, 2024 Submission checks completed at journal 20 Feb, 2024 First submitted to journal 20 Feb, 2024 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-3972618","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":273884959,"identity":"525a8927-7b55-4b48-9b07-78a7c1829afc","order_by":0,"name":"Sven Stappert","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt Space Launcher System Analysis (SART) Institute of Space Systems","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sven","middleName":"","lastName":"Stappert","suffix":""},{"id":273884960,"identity":"fc83bf52-4892-4942-90bb-8ac65a7855e1","order_by":1,"name":"Ingrid 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