Space Systems/loral, LLC

Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp.

Bae Systems Space & Mission Systems Inc.

Maxar Space LLC

Gordon C Wu

David Marlow

Derek Chan

John Scott Higham

Lenny Low

Matthew Stephen Parman

Jeff Aaron Baldwin

Daniel Andrew Fluitt

Jude Zils

Robert Jones

Elijah Zebadiah Gurnee

Philip Alley

Maria Eugenia Torres

Suzan Q Green

Cynthia Wallace

Jason J Chiang

Jorge Delgado

Joel Boccio

Harry A Yates

Kevin Eugene Weed

Michael Aliamus

Timothy Lofquist

Clifford Lester

Kevin Hoopes

Bryce Moore

Cameron Ground

Deborah Mathews

Christopher Lao

Diego A Melani

Ty Davis Lee

Jonathan Dirrenberger

Robert J Baltrum, Jr

Eric R Turner

William D Deininger

David W Draper

Jennifer Atteberry

Systems and methods for providing thermal systems having one or more radiators that each incorporate one or more heat pipe matrices are provided. Each heat pipe matrix includes at least one spreader heat pipe element and a plurality of lateral heat pipe elements. The lateral heat pipe elements can extend in a direction that is generally transverse to a direction in which the spreader heat pipe element extends. Each lateral heat pipe element includes a portion that is thermally coupled and parallel to a portion of at least one spreader heat pipe element. Multiple heat pipe matrices can be thermally coupled to one another by jumper heat pipes to form heat pipe networks.

Spacecraft thermal systems and methods

Chemical propellant storage and supply systems and methods for use on spacecraft are provided. The systems and methods include a fluid pump for moving chemical propellant within the system at selected pressures. This can include operating the fluid pump to supply propellant to a thruster system at a selected pressure. A fuel tank can be refilled by connecting a propellant resupply source to the system, and operating the fluid pump to move propellant from the propellant resupply source to the fuel tank. In a system with multiple fuel tanks, the fluid pump can be operated to move propellant from a donor fuel tank to a recipient fuel tank. The chemical propellant can be stored in one or more fuel tanks at a relatively low pressure. In addition, the chemical propellant is not pressurized by a gaseous pressurant while it is stored in the fuel tank.

Active on orbit fluid propellant management and refueling systems and methods

Systems and methods for providing a spacecraft are provided. The spacecraft includes a main structural member that extends between end panels of the spacecraft, and that defines a first interior volume. A fuel tank is disposed within and conforms to at least a portion of the first interior volume. The fuel tank can itself include a central void that defines a second interior volume. The main structural member and the fuel tank can be cylindrical. Payload items or components of the spacecraft can be disposed within the second interior volume.

Multipurpose spacecraft structure and propulsion system

Systems and methods for providing a solar cell array with a reduced magnetic field are provided. The systems include a plurality of solar cells arrayed on a first surface side of a substrate. The solar cells are electrically connected to one another in series by a first conductor structure at least partially disposed on the first surface side of the substrate, forming a solar cell or supply circuit. A second conductor structure in series with the solar cell circuit is at least partially disposed on the second surface side of the substrate, forming a return harness. The supply circuit and the return harness define current paths that are opposite one another, and that are separated from one another by the substrate. The first and second conductor structures can be formed from conductive traces on the first and second sides respectively of the substrate.

Solar panel design and methods for magnetic cleanliness

Spacecraft propulsion systems and methods featuring a first storage tank containing a metallic propellant and a second storage tank containing a non-metallic propellant are provided. A selected one of the metallic propellant and the non-metallic propellant is supplied to an electric propulsion thruster, depending on an operational mode of the spacecraft. The metallic propellant is stored at a relatively high density, while the non-metallic propellant is stored at a lower density than the metallic propellant. Moreover, the non-metallic propellant is preferably utilized to produce thrust through the electric propulsion thruster during operational maneuvers, while the metallic propellant is reserved for producing thrust through the electric propulsion thruster during end-of-life, such as deorbiting, maneuvers.

Electric propulsion based spacecraft propulsion systems and methods utilizing multiple propellants

Techniques for minimizing diurnal temperature variation of a radiator of a spacecraft are disclosed. In one aspect, a spacecraft includes a body, a radiator panel, and a heat dissipating unit thermally coupled with the radiator panel. The spacecraft is configured to operate in an orbital plane, and has a yaw axis within the orbital plane and directed from a spacecraft coordinate system origin toward nadir, a pitch axis orthogonal to the orbital plane, and a roll axis orthogonal to the pitch axis and the yaw axis. The radiator panel includes a surface area external to a body of the spacecraft, a first portion of the surface area facing a first direction that is substantially parallel to the roll axis, and a second portion of the surface area facing a second direction that has a substantial component parallel to the yaw axis.

Method of operating a spacecraft radiator panel

A spacecraft includes a semi-rigid solar array and a main body structure, the main body structure configured as a convex polyhedron and including an aft and a forward face disposed opposite to the aft face and at least four side faces disposed between and approximately orthogonal to the aft face and the forward face. The solar array includes a number of panels linked together with flexible couplings. In an undeployed configuration, panels of the solar array cover at least two adjacent side faces, the flexible couplings providing an articulable joint approximately aligned with a line along which the two adjacent side faces are joined and connecting a first panel of the solar array and a second panel of the solar array, the first panel being proximal to a first side face and the second panel being proximal to a second side face.

Spacecraft design with semi-rigid solar array

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

Systems and methods for refueling a chemical propulsion system are provided. The systems can include multiple pressurant reservoirs to supply pressure to one or more fuel tanks. During a refueling operation, pressurant is released, fuel is added to the fuel tank, and then the fuel tank is repressurized using pressurant from a secondary pressurant tank. In other configurations, during a refueling operation pressurant is cooled to depressurize the fuel tank, fuel is added to the fuel tank, and then the pressurant is heated to repressurize the fuel tank. The systems and methods can be used to refuel operationally deployed space craft.

On orbit fluid propellant dispensing systems and methods

Integrated chemical propellant and cold gas propulsion systems and methods are provided. A storage or fuel tank containing the chemical propellant is pressurized by a pressurant. The chemical propellant is selective passed to a propellant thruster through a first port of the storage tank and a propellant valve. The pressurant is selectively passed to a cold gas thruster through a second port of the storage tank and a cold gas valve. In addition, a pressurant tank can be provided. Pressurant contained within the pressurant tank can be selectively placed in communication with the pressurant contained within the storage tank via a pressurant valve, or can be selectively passed to the cold gas thruster through the cold gas thruster valve. Systems can also include bi-propellant thrusters, with a first and second chemical compounds and volumes of pressurant stored in first and second storage tanks respectively.

Chemical and cold gas propellant systems and methods

A spacecraft includes a propulsion subsystem including at least two electric thrusters, an electrical interface assembly that couples electrical conductors from the thrusters to a spacecraft harness, a pneumatic interface assembly that controls flow rate of propellant to the thrusters and a thruster support module (TSM) including a pointing arrangement and a mounting arrangement. A proximal portion of the mounting arrangement is coupled with a distal portion of the pointing arrangement; the at least two electric thrusters are disposed on a distal portion of the mounting arrangement; the electrical interface assembly and the pneumatic interface assembly are disposed on the proximal portion of the mounting arrangement. The mounting arrangement is configured to limit heat transfer between the thrusters and (b) one or more of the proximal portion of the mounting arrangement, the electrical interface assembly and the pneumatic interface assembly.

Multiple thruster firing on a single articulable module

A spacecraft includes a propulsion system including an inert gas stored in a set of pressurant tanks, one or more electric thrusters operable with the inert gas, one or more cold gas thrusters operable with the inert gas; and a pneumatic arrangement including commandable valves.

Spacecraft propellant management system

A spacecraft includes a propulsion system that includes one or more pressurant tanks configured to store an inert gas at a high pressure, one or more propellant tanks configured to store liquid propellant at an intermediate pressure, electric thrusters operable with the inert gas at a low pressure and pneumatically coupled with the one or more pressurant tanks by way of a first pressure regulator, and chemical thrusters operable with the liquid propellant. The inert gas is one or a mixture of two or more of xenon, argon and krypton. At least a portion of the liquid propellant is stored in at least one of the propellant tanks, the propellant tank including an ullage volume pneumatically coupled with at least one of the pressurant tanks by way of a second pressure regulator having an output set to the intermediate pressure and the ullage volume is pressurized by the inert gas.

Unified spacecraft propellant management system for chemical and electric propulsion

A first spacecraft includes a first fluid storage arrangement and a fluid flow metering arrangement including a holding tank coupled with the first fluid storage arrangement, a flow meter disposed proximate to the holding tank, and an active thermal control arrangement controlling the temperature of the flow meter and the holding tank. The first spacecraft is configured to service a second spacecraft, the second spacecraft including a second fluid storage arrangement, by transferring one or both of a propellant and a pressurant from the first fluid storage arrangement to the holding tank, and from the holding tank, through the flow meter, to the second fluid storage arrangement.

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Lafayette, CO, United States of America

Gordon C Wu