US 12,600,497 B2Granted

Linked spacecraft dispensing

AssigneeMaxar Space LLC

InventorsVarouj Baghdasarian, Patrick Lewis

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Abstract

Technology is disclosed herein for dispensing stacked spacecraft. A stack of spacecraft may be joined together in an accordion configuration by dis-engageable links. A dis-engageable link may join two adjacent spacecraft at one edge of the spacecraft. Some of the links are on one side of the stack with other links on an opposite side of the stack to provide the accordion configuration. After the tie-down mechanism releases the stack of spacecraft from a launch adaptor the stack unfolds. Initially, the dis-engageable links continue to hold the spacecraft together in the accordion configuration with the angle between each pair of adjacent spacecraft increasing. After a pair of adjacent spacecraft have unfolded a sufficient amount to prevent collision, the dis-engageable links release one of the spacecraft to thereby dispense the spacecraft.

Claims20

Dependent claims

A system comprising:

a plurality of spacecraft;
tension rods configured to tie down the plurality of spacecraft to a launch vehicle adaptor in a stack;
one or more actuators configured to releases the tension rods such that the plurality of spacecraft are free of the launch vehicle adaptor;
and
a spacecraft dispensing system comprising a plurality of dis-engageable links that connect the stack of spacecraft in an accordion configuration with a first set of the dis-engageable links on a first side of the stack and a second set of the dis-engageable links on a second side of the stack opposite the first side, each link configured to connect a pair of adjacent ones of the spacecraft, wherein the dispensing system is configured to force the spacecraft apart to unfold the accordion configuration, wherein the links that connect the pair of adjacent ones of the spacecraft are configured to break the connection between a first spacecraft of the pair and a second spacecraft of the pair to dispense the second spacecraft after the pair have unfolded a sufficient amount to prevent collision of the second spacecraft with the first spacecraft.

2 more elements

A method for deploying stacked spacecraft, the method comprising:

assembling a plurality of planar spacecraft into an accordion configuration with a first set of dis-engageable links on a first side of the accordion configuration and a second set of the dis-engageable links on a second side of the accordion configuration opposite the first side, wherein each link connects a pair of adjacent ones of the spacecraft;
moving a hold-down assembly from a first configuration that ties down the accordion configuration to a launch vehicle adaptor to a second configuration to release the accordion configuration of the planar spacecraft from the launch vehicle adaptor;
and
unfolding the accordion configuration of the planar spacecraft after the hold-down assembly has been moved from the first configuration to the second configuration to cause each dis-engageable link to disengage from a first spacecraft of the pair of adjacent ones of the spacecraft to release a second spacecraft of the pair of adjacent ones of the spacecraft after the pair of adjacent ones of the spacecraft have unfolded a sufficient amount to prevent collision of the second spacecraft with the first spacecraft.

1 more element

A satellite deployment system comprising:

a hold-down assembly having a plurality of tension rods, wherein the tension rods are configured to hold a stack of planar satellites to a launch vehicle adaptor under tension when in a launch configuration, the launch vehicle adaptor configured to mechanically couple to a launch vehicle;
a control circuit in communication with the hold-down assembly, wherein the control circuit is configured to issue a control signal to the hold-down assembly to move the hold-down assembly from the launch configuration to a deployment configuration in which the tension rods are free from the stack;
and
a plurality of dis-engageable links that connect the stack of planar satellites in an accordion configuration with a first set of the dis-engageable links on a first side of the stack and a second set of the dis-engageable links on a second side of the stack opposite the first side, wherein the dis-engageable links are configured to allow the accordion configuration to unfold, wherein the dis-engageable links are configured to release each respective one of the planar satellites when an angle between the respective ones of the planar satellites and another one of the planar satellites to which it is connected is within a target range of angles in order to deploy the respective ones of the planar satellites.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.