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:
Jun. 01, 2021
Filed:
May. 03, 2018
Space Systems/loral, Llc, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Gordon Wu, Lafayette, CO (US);
David Marlow, Redwood City, CA (US);
Space Systems/Loral, LLC, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
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.