Magnetic damping for space vehicles after end-of-life
AssigneeEuropean Space Agency
InventorsTiago Soares, Antonio Caiazzo, Andrew Wolahan
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A space vehicle includes one or more magnetorquers operable to change an attitude of the space vehicle in an external magnetic field, each magnetorquer comprising a coil, and a switching circuit for short-circuiting the coil of at least one of the magnetorquers so that a closed electric circuit comprising said coil is formed, for damping tumbling motion of the space vehicle in the external magnetic field. The switching circuit is configured to short-circuit the coil of the at least one magnetorquer upon occurrence of a condition indicative of end-of-life or failure of the space vehicle. The application further relates to a corresponding method of operating a space vehicle.
Claims15
A space vehicle, comprising:
- one or more magnetorquers operable to change an attitude of the space vehicle in an external magnetic field, each magnetorquer comprising a coil;
- and
- a switching circuit for short-circuiting the coil of at least one of the magnetorquers so that a closed electric circuit comprising said coil is formed, for damping tumbling motion of the space vehicle in the external magnetic field;
- wherein the switching circuit is configured to short-circuit the coil of the at least one magnetorquer upon occurrence of a condition indicative of end-of-life or failure of the space vehicle.
A method of operating a space vehicle with one or more magnetorquers operable to change an attitude of the space vehicle in an external magnetic field, each magnetorquer comprising a coil, the method comprising:
- detecting a condition indicative of end-of-life or failure of the space vehicle;
- and
- upon detection of the condition, short-circuiting the coil of at least one of the magnetorquers so that a closed electric circuit comprising said coil is formed, for damping tumbling motion of the space vehicle in the external magnetic field.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.