Back to results
US 11,377,237 B1Granted
Orbital rendezvous techniques
AssigneeUnited Launch Alliance, L.L.C.
InventorsEric W. Monda, Bernard F. Kutter
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A method of achieving orbital rendezvous with a target satellite includes launching a spacecraft with a launch vehicle at an optimal time; steering the launch vehicle out-of-plane based on the orbital elements of the target satellite's orbit; and entering a predetermined rendezvous envelope of the target satellite before the target satellite completes one complete orbit from the target satellite's position at the optimal time.
Claims20
A method of achieving orbital rendezvous comprising:
- launching a spacecraft from a fixed launch site at an optimal launch time of a given day, where the optimal launch time is selected to yield a target phase angle between the spacecraft and a target satellite on a preferred pass of the target satellite relative to the launch site on the given day, the target satellite orbiting in an orbital plane that does not pass through the launch site;
- steering the spacecraft toward a rendezvous envelope of the target satellite;
- and
- causing the spacecraft to enter the rendezvous envelope of the target satellite before the target satellite completes a full orbit from its position at the optimal launch time.
1 more element
A launch system comprising:
- a launch vehicle comprising a lower stage and an upper stage;
- and
- a control unit comprising:
- a processor;
- a communication interface;
- and
- a memory, the memory storing instructions for execution by the processor that, when executed, cause the processor to:
- initiate launch of the launch vehicle from a fixed launch site at an optimal time of a selected day, the optimal time coinciding with a target phase angle between the launch vehicle and a target satellite, the target satellite having an orbit in an orbital plane that does not pass through the launch site, the orbit defined by orbital elements;
- issue out-of-plane steering commands based on the orbital elements;
- and
- execute an engine burn that causes at least the upper stage to enter, in less than one complete orbit of the target satellite from the optimal launch time, a rendezvous envelope of the target satellite.
8 more elements
A method of rendezvousing with a target satellite, comprising:
- initiating a launch sequence to achieve launch of a launch vehicle from a fixed launch site based on an optimal time, the optimal time determined to yield a predetermined phase angle between the launch vehicle and a target satellite;
- causing the launch vehicle to steer during launch toward a predetermined rendezvous envelope of the target satellite, wherein the target satellite has an orbit defining an orbital plane that does not pass through the launch site at the optimal time;
- and
- inserting at least a portion of the launch vehicle into the rendezvous envelope of the target satellite before the target satellite completes one complete orbit from the target satellite's position at the optimal time.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.