# US 12,015,472 B2 · Interplanetary networks for space internet and space positioning

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- Number: US 12,015,472 B2
- Document ID: US12015472B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/696,679
- Filed: 2022-03-16
- Published: 2022-09-22
- Granted: 2024-06-18
- Earliest claimed: 2021-03-19
- Assignees: California Institute of Technology
- Applicants: California Institute of Technology
- Inventors: Jose E. Velazco
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12015472B2

## CPC

- H04B 7/18521: {Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service (for optical links between satellites H04B10/118)}
- H01Q 3/2676: {Optically controlled phased array}
- H04B 7/18528: {Satellite systems for providing two-way communications service to a network of fixed stations, i.e. fixed satellite service or very small aperture terminal [VSAT] system}
- H01Q 15/165: {composed of a plurality of rigid panels (collapsible H01Q15/161)}
- H01Q 21/0087: {Apparatus or processes specially adapted for manufacturing antenna arrays (manufacturing waveguides H01P11/00)}
- H04B: TRANSMISSION
- H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72)

## Abstract

Interplanetary networks for space internet and space positioning are presented. The described networks deploy spacecraft swarms along the solar system to form a science and communications platform. The disclosed network nodes are placed around planetary Lagrange points. Creation of optical synthetic apertures using smallsat swarms for inter- and intranet communications is further described. Exemplary subnetworks such as the cislunar network are also presented.

## Claims

### Claim 1

An interplanetary satellite network (IPN) deployed across a plurality of planets of a solar system, the IPN comprising a plurality of miniaturized satellite swarms, each swarm forming a node of the IPN, the node being located at a Lagrange point of a corresponding planet with reference to the Sun, and wherein:
the plurality of planets comprises Earth, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune and Pluto, and
each miniaturized satellite is configured to optically communicate with miniaturized satellites of a same swarm and miniaturized satellites of other swarms of the IPN.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The IPN of claim 1, comprising a first subnetwork deployed across an inner solar system, a second subnetwork deployed across an outer solar system, and a cislunar subnetwork.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

The IPN of claim 2, wherein the cislunar subnetwork comprises a geostationary orbit subnetwork including a set of miniaturized satellite swarms equally spaced along a geostationary orbit.

### Claim 4 (depends on 3)

The IPN of claim 3, wherein the cislunar subnetwork comprises a gateway, a lunar radio telescope disposed at a second Earth-Moon Lagrange point, lunar ground assets including robots and rovers, and Earth ground stations.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

The IPN of claim 4, wherein the miniaturized satellite swarms of the cislunar subnetwork are configured for connection to the lunar ground assets.

### Claim 6 (depends on 4)

The IPN of claim 4, wherein the gateway is configured to establish communications between the lunar ground assets and Earth ground stations.

### Claim 7 (depends on 3)

The IPN of claim 3, further comprising a ground network comprising eight ground complexes arranged 45-degrees apart in longitude.

### Claim 8 (depends on 7)

The IPN of claim 7, wherein each ground complex comprises optical stations configured to provide a duplex connectivity with the swarms of the geostationary orbit IPN.

### Claim 9 (depends on 2)

The IPN of claim 2, wherein the cislunar subnetwork comprises a subnetwork including a set of miniaturized satellite swarms equally spaced along a first Earth-Moon Lagrange point (L1) orbit and a second Earth-Moon Lagrange point (L2) orbit.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The IPN of claim 1, wherein each miniaturized satellite swarm comprises:
an inter-spacecraft optical communicator configured to establish optical communication among miniaturized satellites within the same swarm; and
a long range optical communicator configured to establish optical communications among miniaturized satellites of different swarms.

### Claim 11 (depends on 10)

The IPN of claim 10, further comprising solar panels.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

The IPN of claim 1, wherein transmission and reception of signals by the miniaturized satellites are synchronized to produce a desired optical synthetic aperture.

### Claim 13 (depends on 8)

The IPN of claim 8, wherein each ground complex further comprises an auxiliar phased-array antenna station.

### Claim 14 (depends on 1)

The IPN of claim 1, implemented as a space positioning system, the IPN further comprising one or more additional spacecrafts, and wherein:
each miniaturized satellite and the one or more additional spacecrafts are configured to receive optical beams from one or more nodes of the IPN to determine a position of the miniaturized satellite and the one or more additional spacecrafts in the solar system, and
position of each of the IPN nodes is obtained based on a standard position information obtained from terrestrial stations including NASA's deep space network.

### Claim 15 (depends on 1)

The IPN of claim 1, implemented as a bistatic radar comprising:
a transmit radar on Earth ground, the transmit radar having a transmit frequency, wherein each miniaturized satellite comprises a receiver tunable at a same frequency as the transmit frequency.