Space Systems/loral, LLC

Daniel Andrew Fluitt

Jude Zils

Gordon C Wu

John Scott Higham

Elijah Zebadiah Gurnee

Carey Graham Hijmans

Michael Freestone

Douglas William Dietz

Jeanine Olson

Gregory Pettey

Stephen Mark Schlocker

A spacecraft includes an additive manufacturing (A/M) subsystem and one or both of a thermal control arrangement and a contamination control arrangement. The A/M subsystem includes an A/M tool, feedstock and a workpiece and is configured to additively manufacture the workpiece using material from the feedstock. The thermal control arrangement is operable, in an on-orbit space environment characterized by near vacuum pressure and near zero-g force, to maintain temperature of at least one of the A/M tool, the feedstock, and the workpiece within respective specified ranges. The contamination control arrangement is operable, in the on-orbit space environment, to control outgassing of volatile organic compounds (VOCs).

Additive manufacturing on-orbit

A spacecraft includes a main body structure and a plurality of deployable modular reflector elements, the spacecraft being reconfigurable from a launch configuration to an on-orbit configuration. In the launch configuration, the modular reflector elements are disposed in a storage system that includes an arrangement for supporting the modular reflector elements with respect to dynamic launch loads. In the on-orbit configuration, in some implementations, an assembly of the plurality of modular reflector elements forms a large-aperture, offset fed, reflector, the reflector being coupled with a boom or yoke with the main body structure by way of a two or three axis positioning mechanism configured to steer the reflector with respect to the main body structure. In some implementations, in the on-orbit configuration, the plurality of modular reflector elements are assembled to form a large aperture reflective surface that is self-supporting.

Space based robotic assembly of a modular reflector

A spacecraft includes a feed array that includes a plurality of unitary modules, each module including a respective plurality of radio frequency (RF) waveguides structurally coupled together with at least one connecting feature. For each unitary module, the at least one connecting feature and a wall structure defining the respective plurality of waveguides are co-fabricated using an additive manufacturing process. The plurality of unitary modules includes a first unitary module including a first plurality of waveguides and a second unitary module including a second plurality of waveguides. The first unitary module and the second unitary module are configured to be integrated together so as to electrically couple at least one of the first plurality of waveguides with at least one of the second plurality of waveguides.

Additive manufactured RF module

A spacecraft includes a structural interface adapter for mating to a launch vehicle, at least one radiator panel, at least one interior equipment panel and a 3-D truss structure. The 3-D truss structure is mechanically coupled with the structural interface adapter, the at least one radiator panel, and the at least one interior equipment panel, and at least a portion of the 3-D truss structure is disposed between the radiator panel and the interior panel.

Spacecraft exoskeleton truss structure

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Santa Rosa, CA, United States of America

Daniel Andrew Fluitt