Communications relay satellite with a single-axis gimbal
AssigneeThe Aerospace Corporation
InventorRichard P. Welle
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An apparatus for simultaneously receiving and transmitting data in space may include a receiver configured to receive an incoming beam transmitted from a source along a receive vector between the source and the receiver. The apparatus may also include a transmitter to generate a transmitted beam along a transmit vector. The apparatus may further include a single-axis gimbal configured to rotate the transmit vector about an axis substantially perpendicular to the receive vector, and an attitude-control system configured to rotate the apparatus about an axis parallel to the receive vector or the transmit vector.
Claims24
A satellite configured to receive and transmit data in space, comprising:
- a high-gain receiver configured to receive data along a receive axis;
- a gimbal mounted to a body of the satellite having a single rotation axis substantially perpendicular to the receive axis;
- a high-gain transmitter configured to transmit a transmit beam along a transmit axis substantially perpendicular to the single rotation axis;
- an attitude-control system configured to orient the satellite to align the receive axis parallel to a receive vector from a source to the satellite;
- the attitude-control system further configured to perform a full-body rotation of the satellite about the receive axis, wherein
- the single rotation axis of the gimbal combined with the full-body rotation of the satellite about the receive axis allows for the transmit axis to be aligned parallel to a transmit vector from the satellite to a destination.
A satellite configured to relay data in space, comprising:
- a receiver configured to receive an incoming beam transmitted from a source along a receive vector between the source and the receiver when a receive axis and the receive vector are substantially aligned;
- an attitude control system configured to align the receive axis with the receive vector by performing a full body rotation of the satellite;
- a transmitter configured to generate a transmit beam along a transmit axis;
- and
- a gimbal mounted to a body of the satellite having a single rotation axis that is substantially perpendicular to the receive axis, wherein
- the gimbal is configured to rotate the transmit axis about the single rotation axis to transmit the transmit beam to a destination along a transmit vector between the satellite and the destination when the transmit axis and transmit vector are substantially aligned.
A satellite configured to receive and transmit data in space, comprising:
- a receiver configured to receive an incoming beam along a receive axis;
- a gimbal mounted to a body of the satellite having a single rotation axis substantially perpendicular to the receive axis;
- an attitude-control system further configured to perform a full-body rotation of the satellite about the receive axis;
- and
- a transmitter configured to transmit an outgoing beam along a transmit axis substantially perpendicular to the single rotation axis of the gimbal, wherein
- the gimbal is configured to rotate the transmit axis relative to the receive axis about the single rotation axis, and
- the single rotation axis of the gimbal combined with the full-body rotation of the satellite about the receive axis allows for the transmit axis to be aligned parallel to a transmit vector from the satellite to a destination.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.