The Boeing Company

Elvis D Silva

Gary E Lemke

Jason D Flathom

Dennis Yoichi Nakasone

Miguel A Estevez

Manuel C Martinez-Lavin

Christopher P Volk

Manuel Martinez-Lavin

Example methods and systems of deploying a constellation of spacecraft are described. An example method includes releasing a cluster of spacecraft from a launch vehicle at a first orbit, separating spacecraft in the cluster of spacecraft from each other to minimize overlap of visibility periods from a ground station, and raising each of the spacecraft as separated simultaneously in a synchronized ascent to a respective final orbit. An example system includes a cluster of spacecraft in orbit at a first orbit, and a ground station in communication with spacecraft of the cluster of spacecraft when the spacecraft of the cluster are visible to the ground station. The ground station commands each spacecraft to separate from each other and to raise in altitude as separated simultaneously in a synchronized ascent to a respective final orbit.

Systems and methods for multi-spacecraft distributed ascent and sequential raising with relative phasing

A spacecraft system includes a plurality of spacecraft in a stack. The stack has one or more layers, each layer includes at least two spacecraft, and each spacecraft is releasably coupled to one or more adjacent spacecraft in the stack. The spacecraft system also includes a controller configured to, for each layer, (i) cause the layer to release from the stack, and (ii) after the layer releases from the stack, cause the at least two spacecraft in the layer to release from each other.

Systems and methods for deploying a spacecraft arrangement

Systems and methods for deploying spacecraft

Systems and methods for multi-spacecraft distributed ascent

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Denver, CO, United States of America

Elvis D Silva