The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document.
The patent badge is an abbreviated version of the USPTO patent document. The patent badge covers the following: Patent number, Date patent was issued, Date patent was filed, Title of the patent, Applicant, Inventor, Assignee, Attorney firm, Primary examiner, Assistant examiner, CPCs, and Abstract. The patent badge does contain a link to the full patent document (in Adobe Acrobat format, aka pdf). To download or print any patent click here.
Patent No.:
Date of Patent:
Jan. 21, 2020
Filed:
May. 23, 2017
Applicant:
Space Systems/loral, Llc, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Inventor:
John Hutton Cooper, Sunnyvale, CA (US);
Assignee:
Space Systems/Loral, LLC, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Primary Examiner:
Int. Cl.
CPC ...
B64G 1/36 (2006.01); B64G 1/24 (2006.01); G06F 19/00 (2018.01);
U.S. Cl.
CPC ...
B64G 1/363 (2013.01); B64G 1/242 (2013.01);
Abstract
Techniques for orienting an earth-orbiting spacecraft include determining, using a star tracker on board the spacecraft, a first vector aligned between an ecliptic pole of the earth and the spacecraft, adjusting attitude of the spacecraft so as to align a first axis of the spacecraft with the first vector, and rotating the spacecraft about the first axis until presence of the sun is registered. Rotation rates may be subsequently reduced, such that the sun remains within a field of view of the sun sensor or of a solar array of the spacecraft.