Invention Grant
- Patent Title: Cross-feeding propellant between stacked spacecraft
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Application No.: US15616803Application Date: 2017-06-07
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Publication No.: US10589879B2Publication Date: 2020-03-17
- Inventor: Jeff Aaron Baldwin , Jonathan Noland , Alfred Heikal Tadros , Jeffrey Donald Stoen , Adam Maher
- Applicant: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
- Applicant Address: US CA Palo Alto
- Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
- Current Assignee: Space Systems/Loral, LLC
- Current Assignee Address: US CA Palo Alto
- Agency: Weaver Austin Villeneuve & Sampson LLP
- Main IPC: B64G1/64
- IPC: B64G1/64 ; B64G1/40 ; B64G1/24 ; B64G1/26 ; B64G1/00

Abstract:
A first spacecraft and a second spacecraft are configured to be disposed together, in a launch configuration, for launch by a single launch vehicle. In the launch configuration, the first spacecraft is mechanically coupled with a primary payload adapter of the launch vehicle, and the second spacecraft is mechanically coupled with the first spacecraft by way of an inter-spacecraft coupling arrangement. The spacecraft are configured to be deployed, following injection into a first orbit by the launch vehicle, by separating the first spacecraft from the primary payload adapter while the second spacecraft is mechanically coupled with the first spacecraft. A first onboard propulsion subsystem of the first spacecraft includes one or more thrusters configured to execute an orbit transfer maneuver from the first orbit to a second orbit. A propellant line arrangement detachably couples the first onboard propulsion subsystem with a second propellant storage arrangement on the second spacecraft.
Public/Granted literature
- US20180354659A1 CROSS-FEEDING PROPELLANT BETWEEN STACKED SPACECRAFT Public/Granted day:2018-12-13
Information query