Spacecraft combining solar-thermal collector, solar-thermal rocket and photovoltaic array in a compact assembly
AssigneeTrans Astronautica Corporation
InventorsHayden Andrew Burgoyne, Richard Roberts Rieber, Joel C. Sercel
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Abstract
Spacecraft combining solar-thermal collector, solar-thermal rocket and photovoltaic array in a compact assembly are provided. In one aspect, a spacecraft includes a spacecraft bus, a rocket thruster, a solar energy collecting mirror, and a photovoltaic panel. The rocket thruster, the solar energy collecting mirror, and the photovoltaic panel are connected together and configured to rotate along a common rotation axis which in turn is attached to a single location on an outer surface of the spacecraft bus.
Claims12
A method of launching a spacecraft designed for free-flight in space, the method comprising:
- launching the spacecraft from Earth on a rocket, wherein the spacecraft is folded into a package in order to fit within an aerodynamic nose fairing atop the rocket during launch;
- after arriving at a suitable orbit, detaching the spacecraft from the rocket;
- and
- unfolding the spacecraft and deploying a solar energy collecting mirror, photovoltaic arrays, antennas, and thermal radiators.
A spacecraft comprising:
- a spacecraft bus;
- a rocket thruster;
- and
- a solar energy collecting mirror,
- wherein the rocket thruster is configured to rotate along a common rotation axis which in turn is attached to a single location on an outer surface of the spacecraft bus.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.