FIELD OF THE DISCLOSURE

This disclosure relates generally to rocket engines and, more particularly, to concurrent rocket engine pre-conditioning and tank loading.

BACKGROUND

Some launch vehicles (e.g., spacecraft) employ propellant tanks that are filled with a cryogenic rocket fuel or propellant for launch. This cryogenic rocket propellant is also often used to thermally condition rocket engines prior to launch. In particular, the cryogenic rocket propellant is provided to a chill line of a rocket engine to thermally condition the rocket engine. Accordingly, the time taken to thermally condition the rocket engine can delay launch readiness.

Propellant tanks associated with a rocket engine are typically filled with cryogenic fluid (e.g., cryogens) to a certain height prior to thermally conditioning the rocket engine. In particular, a static head pressure of cryogenic rocket propellant, which increases with a height of a liquid column of the cryogenic rocket propellant, can be used to drive a flow of the cryogenic propellant to an inlet port, through a chill line that passes through the rocket engine and out of the rocket engine into an engine bleed line. To ensure a sufficient static head pressure to drive the flow of the cryogenic rocket propellant, the fill height of the cryogenic rocket propellant must reach a requisite height, which can take a significant time to reach and, thus, can cause a launch delay. Further, some launch vehicles may not have the necessary height (e.g., due to compactness) to generate such a requisite height.

