Combined communication and ranging functionality on a spacecraft
AssigneeMomentus Space LLC
InventorRobert Erik Schwarz
Life of this patent
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Abstract
An integrated communication and ranging system for use on a spacecraft includes: a laser module configured to emit at least one beam, a pointing module configured to direct the at least one beam toward a ground station and toward an object in space, and a detector module configured to detect a scattered portion of the at least one beam. The system further includes a control module configured to operate the pointing module to (i) transmit data to the ground station using the at least one beam and (ii) determine, using the detector module, a distance between the spacecraft and the object using the at least one beam.
Claims15
An integrated communication and ranging system for use on a spacecraft, the system comprising:
- a laser module configured to emit a first beam and a second beam;
- a pointing module configured to direct the first beam toward a ground station and direct the second beam toward an object in space;
- a detector module configured to detect a scattered portion of the second beam;
- and
- a control module configured to operate the pointing module to (i) transmit data to the ground station using the first beam and an amplitude modulation technique and (ii) determine, using the detector module and a frequency modulation technique, a distance between the spacecraft and the object using the one second beam,
- wherein the control module modulates the first beam concurrently with the second beam using the amplitude modulation technique and the frequency modulation technique.
A method for communicating and ranging in a spacecraft, the method comprising:
- generating, using a laser module, a beam;
- directing the beam toward a ground station using a shared optical path of a pointing module, to transmit data to the ground station, including modulating the beam with a first modulation technique during a first time period having a duration less that one millisecond;
- directing the one beam toward an object in space using the shared optical path of a pointing module;
- and
- detecting a portion of the one beam scattered by the object using a detector module, to determine a distance between the spacecraft and the object, including modulating the beam with a second modulation technique during a second time period having a duration less that one millisecond and immediately following the first time period.
An integrated communication and ranging system for use on a spacecraft, the system comprising:
- a laser module configured to emit at least one beam;
- an image sensor configured to operate in a visible light spectrum;
- a pointing module configured to direct the at least one beam toward a ground station and toward an object in space;
- a detector module configured to detect a scattered portion of the at least one beam;
- and
- a control module configured to operate the pointing module to (i) transmit data to the ground station using the at least one beam, (ii) determine, using the detector module, a distance between the spacecraft and the object using the at least one beam, and (iii) determine a general orientation of the object relative to the spacecraft using the image sensor, prior to determining the distance between the object and the spacecraft using the at least one beam.
A method for communicating and ranging in a spacecraft, the method comprising:
- generating, using a laser module, a beam;
- directing the at least one beam toward a ground station using a shared optical path of a pointing module, to transmit data to the ground station, including modulating the beam with a first modulation technique;
- directing the at least one beam toward an object in space using the shared optical path of a pointing module;
- and
- detecting a portion of the at least one beam scattered by the object using a detector module, to determine a distance between the spacecraft and the object, including modulating the beam with a second modulation technique, simultaneously with modulating the beam with the first modulation technique.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.