// ORBITAL LOGISTICS AND PROPULSION TERM
Recovery
The process of safely bringing a spacecraft, rocket stage, or payload back to Earth after its mission. This often involves landing or splashdown and subsequent retrieval.
TECHNICAL DEFINITION
Recovery refers to the planned process of retrieving and securing space hardware, such as rocket boosters, capsules, or payloads, after atmospheric re-entry or landing, often involving specialized teams, vehicles, and location systems.
BACKGROUND
An aerospace manufacturer is a company or individual involved in the various aspects of designing, building, testing, selling, and maintaining aircraft, aircraft parts, missiles, rockets, or spacecraft. Aerospace is a high technology industry.
READ MORE ON WIKIPEDIASYNONYMS & ALIASES
- Retrieval
- Salvage
- Re-entry & Landing
- Splashdown
USAGE NOTE
SpaceX has pioneered the recovery of first-stage rocket boosters.
DEVELOPERS
Organizations developing technology related to Recovery.
Pioneered and continues to advance the recovery and reuse of orbital-class rocket boosters (Falcon 9, Falcon Heavy) through propulsive vertical landings, as well as the recovery of Dragon spacecraft for crew and cargo.
Develops reusable rocket systems, including the New Shepard suborbital vehicle and the upcoming New Glenn orbital vehicle, both designed for vertical landing and reuse of their first stages.
Actively developing and implementing recovery techniques for its Electron launch vehicle, including mid-air helicopter capture and ocean splashdown for booster reuse.
Develops and manages recovery systems for crewed capsules like Orion (for Artemis missions) and oversees numerous sample return missions (e.g., OSIRIS-REx, Mars Sample Return), which involve the recovery of scientific payloads.
Developer of the CST-100 Starliner crew capsule, which utilizes parachute and airbag systems for land-based recovery upon return from space.
Developing the Dream Chaser spaceplane, a reusable lifting-body vehicle designed to perform gentle runway landings, offering a different approach to spacecraft recovery.
Leading efforts for the European Space Agency (ESA) in researching and developing reusable launch vehicle technologies, including the Themis reusable stage demonstrator program.
Known for its Hayabusa missions, which successfully recovered asteroid samples, and continues to develop technologies for future sample return missions involving precise capsule recovery.