@article{ZHENG2026, 
author = {Hao ZHENG and Yong TANG and Xiangnan CHEN and Ji LI and Zhiqiang LIN and Baolu SHI},
title = {Base-region thermal environment and flow characteristics of liquid rocket in retro-propulsion re-entry process},
year = {2026},
journal = {Acta Aeronautica et Astronautica Sinica},
volume = {47},
number = {8},
keywords = {reusable, rocket recovery, vertical re-entry, thermal environment, flow characteristics},
url = {https://www.sciopen.com/article/10.7527/S1000-6893.2025.32772},
doi = {10.7527/S1000-6893.2025.32772},
abstract = {Reusable liquid-propellant launch vehicles constitute a pivotal direction for future space transportation systems. During vertical re-entry of a rocket, the aft-mounted engines descend in an irregular configuration facing the freestream. The local thermal environment and flow characteristics are highly complex. A simulation study of the flow over a Falcon 9 v1.2 derived geometry was conducted for four representative re-entry phases: high-altitude powered deceleration, high-altitude aerodynamic deceleration, low-altitude aerodynamic deceleration, and low-altitude powered deceleration. The vehicle thermal environment is markedly transient and non-uniform: plume morphology evolves continuously with altitude and engine operating condition. Powered deceleration phases exhibit substantially stronger flow disturbances and heat-flux maxima than aerodynamic deceleration phases owing to intense plume-freestream coupling. Secondary combustion exerts a global thermal influence on the far-field plume at low altitude. Across the four characteristic stages, the peak heat flux persistently localizes at the nozzle lip and the aft-edge of the rocket base, reaching 380 kW/m2, these data constitute a quantitative basis for engine thermal-protection design.}
}