Aircraft & Spacecraft Recovery
Revolutionizing Recovery
At MMIST, our customized recovery solutions are at the cutting-edge of the evolving landscape of aerial transportation, enabling the safe return of critical components to earth at less than half the weight and half the volume of traditional recovery systems. Our innovative suite of aerial recovery products serve a variety of pioneering industries, including UAVs, eVOTLs, space/near-space exploration, and resupply operations.
Whether used as the primary or emergency backup landing solution, our aerial recovery systems ensure aircraft, payloads and cargo are recovered in a safe and controlled manner, enhancing overall mission safety, success and opening doors to expanded applications closer to built up areas thanks to the ability to reach safe landing areas in the event of unplanned recoveries.
Our tailored solutions are designed to meet your specific operational needs and unique requirements. Contact us today to learn more about how MMIST’s recovery systems can become a key part of the success of your next mission.
Near Space Recovery
- Since 2014, MMIST has been partnering with companies that specialize in re-usable space cargo platforms to recovery equipment and cargo, including rockets, rocket components, low orbit satellites, stratospheric balloons and associated payloads..
- From 2016 to 2018 MMIST conducted proof of concept flights with Google X’s Project Loon, recovering equipment from atmospheric balloons at an altitude of 18 km (11 mi) to 34 km (21 mi). MMIST demonstrated the successful guided recovery of the entire balloon envelope, along with its electronic equipment from the stratosphere.
- Since 2017, MMIST has been integral to a major commercial space flight company’s Payload Fairing Recovery Program. Initially starting with an experimental phase, the program quickly transitioned to full commercial operational status by 2020. This initiative focuses on the economic recovery and reuse of payload fairings from suborbital space. Using MMIST’s Versa™ engineered parafoil, each half of the payload fairing is safely returned to earth in a precise and controlled manner. The program has successfully recovered hundreds of payload fairing halves, saving our customer millions of dollars and helping enable their aggressive launch schedule and meet their goal of rapid rocket reusability.
- MMIST continues to support the emerging industry of near space tourism with custom tailored parachute recovery solutions for several of the industry leaders, offering an unparalleled level of safety and precision for boundary pushing missions.
UAV and Drone Recovery
- MMIST offers advanced, guided aerial recovery solutions that are revolutionizing the surging drone recovery market. Our systems are designed to safely recover drones/unmanned aircraft and other critical equipment across the Commercial, Industrial, Military and Defense sectors.
- Utilizing a state-of-the-art guidance, navigation and control (GNC) system, our guided parachute systems steer the aircraft to a predetermined, safe landing zone, significantly reducing the risk of damage, loss and system turn around times.
- Until recently, unmanned airborne platforms carrying expensive and often classified equipment (including surveillance platforms) relied solely on unguided, round parachutes for recovery. MMIST’s disruptive, guided aerial recovery solutions are increasingly being chosen to support these critical missions, offering a more reliable and secure method of aerial recovery.
- MMIST’s aerial recovery solutions are helping our customers lower operational costs and extend the lifespan of UAV assets by ensuring their safe and controlled recovery.
- Our versatile guided parachute systems can be tailored to various customer crafts and mission profiles – from commercial delivery drones to military Unmanned Combat Aerial Vehicles (UCAVs). Designed for rapid deployment under all conditions, our aerial recovery systems provide a reliable recovery solution, even in the face of emergency situations and adverse weather conditions.
Whole Aircraft & eVTOL Safety and Recovery
- Aircraft Recovery Systems are designed to help aircraft safely descend in emergencies, such as engine failure, loss of control, icing, or fuel exhaustion. These systems increase the chances of survival and reduce the risk of serious injury by enabling a gradual descent to the ground. However, current commercially available systems use a single unguided round parachute, offering no control over the landing location. This lack of control can endanger both the aircraft’s occupants and people on the ground. MMIST aims to provide a better solution.
- In the rapidly growing eVTOL (Electric Vertical Takeoff and Landing), Air Taxi and Urban Air Mobility (UAM) market, safety is paramount. Many designs, such as multicopters, rely solely on spinning blades for lift and lack wings or the ability to glide or auto-rotate. This setup underscores the need for additional safety measures, like parachute recovery systems, making MMIST’s technology an ideal solution.
- MMIST’s Versa™ parachute system is approximately half the weight and half the volume of typical ram-air or round parachute used in these applications, a critical advantage in the eVTOL market. Versa™ is ideal for rotorcraft that do not have sufficient room in their weight budget for legacy parachutes.
- Another use case for Versa’s™ weight and volume saving can allow for redundancy, enabling the inclusion of a second backup parachute within the same original weight budget as a typical single round or ram air parachute in aircraft applications that can support it.
- When combined with MMIST’s core Sherpa™ technology, which can be integrated into new aircraft designs as an OEM component or seamlessly added to existing third-party systems, a fully guided recovery solution becomes possible. The Sherpa™ Motor Drive Unit (MDU) capability allows an aircraft to be guided to a safe landing zone in an emergency, a significant advantage for the widespread adoption of eVTOLs in urban environments.
MMIST’s cutting-edge Aircraft and Spacecraft Recovery Products
Sherpa Motor Drive Unit (MDU)
The MDU can be built into any new airframe or retro fitted to existing designs to provide an autonomous guidance and control system for safety or recovery. Talk to us about how!
Versa
The revolutionary Single Surface Parachute Canopy can be used anywhere a round or ram air can but at less weight and less volume!