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:
Apr. 14, 2026
Filed:
Jul. 17, 2023
Maxar Space Llc, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Varouj Baghdasarian, Cupertino, CA (US);
Patrick Lewis, Santa Cruz, CA (US);
Maxar Space LLC, Palo Alto, CA (US);
Abstract
Technology is disclosed herein for dispensing stacked spacecraft. A stack of spacecraft may be joined together in an accordion configuration by dis-engageable links. A dis-engageable link may join two adjacent spacecraft at one edge of the spacecraft. Some of the links are on one side of the stack with other links on an opposite side of the stack to provide the accordion configuration. After the tie-down mechanism releases the stack of spacecraft from a launch adaptor the stack unfolds. Initially, the dis-engageable links continue to hold the spacecraft together in the accordion configuration with the angle between each pair of adjacent spacecraft increasing. After a pair of adjacent spacecraft have unfolded a sufficient amount to prevent collision, the dis-engageable links release one of the spacecraft to thereby dispense the spacecraft.