Lockheed Martin Corporation

Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation

Alan Cherrette

Elie Germain Tianang

Jonathan James Bennett

Arun K Bhattacharyya

Mark Kintis

Erik Lier

Gordon Lok

Stuart T Linsky

Flavia S Fong

Ann L Peebles

Bryan L Cleaveland

Edward V Koretzky

Gregory Hoke Rowan

Robert Mark Clark

Gregory Eric Edlund

Juan Rivera

Richmond D Bruno

Scott Brisbin

Paul A Porter

Mark Adam Patrick

Andrew H Kwon

Derrick M Yamauchi

A high data rate distribution network for low-earth orbit (LEO) satellite constellations is described. The high data rate distribution network includes multiple LEO constellations, each constellation including a number of LEO spacecraft orbiting in a LEO plane that are all connected together by by-directional free space optical links. The distribution network further includes geostationary earth orbit (GEO) spacecraft in communication with a number of ground gateways. The GEO spacecraft can receive forward communication traffic including radio-frequency (RF) and/or optical data streams uplinked from the ground gateways and can convert the received forward communication traffic into a forward aggregated traffic. The GEO spacecraft can further optically downlink the forward aggregated traffic to LEO spacecraft in a LEO constellation that is in line of sight of the GEO spacecraft. The forward aggregated traffic is then disaggregated among and received by the LEO spacecraft in the LEO constellation. Return communication traffic from each LEO spacecraft can also be aggregated into a return aggregated traffic from the LEO constellation. The return aggregated traffic is optically uplinked to a GEO spacecraft by a LEO spacecraft of the LEO constellation that is in line of sight of the GEO spacecraft. The GEO spacecraft converts the received return aggregate traffic into multiple RF and/or optical data streams that are down linked to a number of ground gateways.

High-data-rate distribution network for LEO constellations

A multisegment array-fed reflector antenna includes a feed array consisting of a number of subarrays and a multisegment reflector to reflect multiple beams of the feed array into a number of elevation angles. A support structure couples the multisegment reflector to the feed array. The multisegment reflector includes two or more ring-focus parabolic segments, and each ring-focus parabolic segment is a parabolic surface extending along a circle around the support structure.

Multisegment reflector antenna directing beams

Provided herein are various improvements to antenna stabilization systems, such as employed on confocal phased array reflector antenna arrangements. In one example, a system includes a feed structure for a main reflector, the feed structure comprising an electronically scanned array (ESA) feed and a sub-reflector. The sub-reflector is configured to propagate a signal between the ESA feed and the main reflector. The system also includes a star tracker element coupled to the feed structure and configured to determine orientation information relative to star alignment, and laser distancing elements coupled to the feed structure and configured to determine distance measurements relative to the main reflector. A control system is configured to determine pointing errors of the main reflector based at least on the orientation information and the distance measurements, and these pointing errors can be used by the ESA feed to adjust steering of a signal towards a target.

Confocal phased array fed reflector antenna beam stabilization

A Reconfigurable, Flexible Multi-User (RFMU) electronically steered antenna (ESA) includes a top panel and a number of side panels that enable many contacts simultaneously with varying gain requirements from a single, in situ, installation. The top panel includes multiple subarrays and can communicate with flyover satellites, and the side panels can communicate with satellites flying past a side of the ESA. The top panel and the side panels can achieve a beam steering that covers a full or partial, variable gain, hemispheric field-of-view (FoV). The RFMU ESA terminal top and side panels are scalable using flexible modular building blocks. This enables increased contacts, increased gain or a combination thereof sized to meet desired performance.

Reconfigurable, flexible multi-user electronically steered antenna (ESA) terminal

Multisegment array-fed ring-focus reflector antenna for wide-angle scanning

A three-axis spacecraft including a spacecraft body including first and second opposing radiator/equipment panels, first and second opposing mounting panels, an earth deck and a zenith deck. The zenith deck faces the Earth when the spacecraft is on orbit and the first and second mounting panels face an east and west direction relative to the Earth when the spacecraft is on orbit. The spacecraft further includes a mounting cylinder extending through the spacecraft body and out of the first and second mounting panels.

Stackable spacecraft

A hybrid electronic/mechanical scanning array antenna including an outer housing and a cold plate rotatable therein. A waveguide aperture including an array of antenna elements is mounted to a top surface of the cold plate and a multi-layer circuit board is mounted to a bottom surface of the cold plate. A plurality of amplifier modules are mounted to the cold plate, where the circuit board includes a plurality of openings that allow the amplifier modules to be directly mounted to the cold plate, and the cold plate includes a plurality of RF signal channels that allow RF signals from the amplifier modules to travel through the cold plate. The amplifier modules are controlled to provide phase-weighting for electronic signal scanning in an elevation direction and rotation of the cold plate allows signal scanning in an azimuth direction.

Hybrid electronic/mechanical scanning array antenna

An apparatus in one example comprises a differential amplifier and a differential mixer. The differential amplifier is configured to receive a multi-octave differential input signal and output an amplified multi-octave differential output signal. The differential amplifier is also configured to substantially reduce second order harmonic distortion of the amplified multi-octave differential output signal through common mode rejection. The differential mixer configured to multiply the amplified multi-octave differential output signal with a local oscillator input signal and output an up-converted sub-octave differential output signal. The multi-octave differential input signal and the up-converted sub-octave differential output signal comprise a substantially same bandwidth.

Multi-octave differential upconverter

A side-fed dual reflector antenna system () of the present invention overcomes the size cost and complexity limitations associated with conventional single and multiple reflector antenna systems. The antenna system () includes a feed array () including separate feeds for generating separate respective antenna beams, a subreflector () for reflecting the separate respective antenna beams generated by the separate feeds of the feed array (), and a reflector () having a shaped reflecting surface for reflecting the separate respective antenna beams received from the subreflector () toward a terrestrial target () to produce substantially contiguous flat beams, each of which provides substantially uniform coverage within a predetermined coverage area on the terrestrial target. The subreflector () and each of the separate feeds in the feed array () are arranged so that a center of each of the separate respective antenna beams illuminates a center of the reflector () subsequent to being reflected from the subreflector ().

Multi-beam antenna system with shaped reflector for generating flat beams

Methods and apparatus are provided for determining aperture phase distributions for use in radiating signals with an active phased array antenna having multiple beams and multiple carriers. Distinct initial phase distributions corresponding to the carriers are allocated. The initial phase distributions are modified for each of the carriers to generate respective radiation patterns that substantially correspond to respective coverage areas in accordance with amplification and radiation of signals having the initial phase distributions. The modified phase distributions are optimized to simultaneously increase carrier-signal power and reduce an intermodulation product radiated in the respective coverage areas in accordance with amplification and radiation of signals having the modified phase distributions.

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Hermosa Beach, CA, United States of America

Alan Cherrette