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US 10,882,640 B2Granted
Energy efficient satellite maneuvering
AssigneeThe Boeing Company
InventorsTimothy S. Lui, Kangsik Lee
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Energy efficient satellite maneuvering is described herein. One disclosed example method includes maneuvering a satellite that is in an orbit around a space body so that a principle sensitive axis of the satellite is oriented to an orbit frame plane to reduce gravity gradient torques acting upon the satellite. The orbit frame plane is based on an orbit frame vector.
Claims17
A satellite comprising:
- a maneuvering device;
- and
- an orientation controller to:
- calculate a sensitive axis of the satellite, and
- cause the maneuvering device to orient a functional vector to be aligned with an orbit frame plane and slew the satellite about the functional vector to orient the sensitive axis of the satellite to the orbit frame plane to reduce gravity gradient torques acting upon the satellite.
2 more elements
A method comprising:
- calculating, via instructions executed by a processor, a sensitive axis of a satellite that is in an orbit around a space body;
- and
- controlling a guidance system to maneuver the satellite by aligning a functional vector of the satellite to an orbit frame plane and slewing the satellite about the functional vector so that the sensitive axis is oriented to the orbit frame plane to reduce gravity gradient torques acting upon the satellite.
A non-transitory machine readable medium having instructions stored thereon, which when executed, cause a processor to:
- calculate a sensitive axis of a satellite orbiting a space body based on sensor readings of the satellite, the satellite having an associated functional vector;
- determine an orbit frame plane using an orbit frame transformation matrix, wherein the orbit frame plane is perpendicular to an orbit frame vector;
- determine an attitude of the satellite to orient the sensitive axis to the determined orbit frame plane, and to orient the functional vector to be aligned with the orbit frame plane;
- and
- direct a guidance system to move the satellite to the attitude.
2 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.