Space surveillance orbit
AssigneeRaytheon Company
InventorDavid C. Langill
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A satellite system includes a satellite in an orbit that is configured to reduce a number of exclusion regions and improve the observation coverage of resident space objects (RSOs) positioned in near Earth orbits. The satellite system includes at least one satellite positioned in a sun synchronous orbit (SSO) with a noon/midnight nodal crossing. The altitude of the SSO is between 1000 and 2000 kilometers and the satellite includes at least one sensor arranged on the satellite that is configured for detection, tracking, and/or identification. Using the noon/midnight nodal crossing is advantageous in that three main exclusion regions, the sun, eclipse, and Earth exclusion regions, are combined into only two exclusion regions for improved performance of the satellite system in observing RSOs.
Claims20
A satellite system comprising:
- at least one satellite positioned in a sun synchronous orbit having a midnight or noon local time of ascending or descending node, or a local time of ascending or descending node that is within 45 degrees of midnight or noon, and an altitude that is between 1000 and 2000 kilometers;
- and
- at least one sensor arranged on the at least one satellite and configured to observe resident space objects in an Earth orbit.
A method of observing resident space objects using a satellite system, the method comprising:
- generating commands to at least one satellite positioned in a sun synchronous orbit having a midnight or noon local time of ascending or descending node, or a local time of ascending or descending node that is within 45 degrees of midnight or noon, and an altitude that is between 1000 and 2000 kilometers;
- generating commands to a sensor arranged on the at least one satellite to selectively observe resident space objects in an Earth orbit.
A method of forming a satellite system, the method including:
- arranging at least one sensor on at least one satellite to observe resident space objects in an Earth orbit;
- and
- launching the at least one satellite into a sun synchronous orbit having a midnight or noon local time of ascending or descending node, or a local time of ascending or descending node that is within 45 degrees of midnight or noon, and an altitude that is between 1000 and 2000 kilometers, wherein the sun synchronous orbit has fewer than three main exclusion regions in which resident space objects are unobservable
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.