US-12623794-B2 - Attachment systems for augmenting satellites

US12623794B2US 12623794 B2US12623794 B2US 12623794B2US-12623794-B2

Abstract

Retrofittable satellite systems for an in-orbit host satellite comprising an enhancement module for adding a capability to the in-orbit host satellite, modifying the function of the in-orbit host satellite, and/or extending the function of the in-orbit host satellite. The in-orbit, retrofittable satellite system comprises a transfer vehicle for transferring the enhancement module from a first to a second location and a service vehicle for receiving the enhancement module from the transfer vehicle and installing the enhancement module on the in-orbit host satellite. In-orbit space situational awareness systems, comprising one or more in-orbit host satellites having one or more enhancement modules attached thereto, the enhancement modules comprising sensors such as satellite spatial location/position sensors, range sensors, navigation sensors, and/or proximity sensors for detecting other objects in-orbit, their location, speed, acceleration, orbital trajectory or the like, wherein the enhancement modules communicate to create a mesh network between the satellites. Clamps may be provided for attaching the enhancement module to an existing structural component of the in-orbit host satellite.

Inventors

Erik Olaf Harang
Ghonhee Lee
Nicholas Peter Liapis
Jason Herman
Dawson Pursell
Hunter Robertson
Andrew Sabovik

Assignees

KATALYST SPACE TECHNOLOGIES, LLC

Dates

Publication Date: 20260512
Application Date: 20240227

Claims (20)

1 . A system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite with an enhancement module, wherein the in-orbit host satellite is without an independent attachment interface for receiving the enhancement module, the system comprising: the in-orbit host satellite; the enhancement module; the enhancement module having a payload for adding a new capability to the in-orbit host satellite, the enhancement module further comprising: at least one of an independent power subsystem and an independent communications subsystem such that the enhancement module does not require power or data connection to the in-orbit host satellite; and a clamp to attach the enhancement module to an existing structural component of the in-orbit host satellite, wherein after the enhancement module is attached to the in-orbit host satellite, running a calibration routine using state data from both the in-orbit host satellite and the enhancement module to determine a relative orientation of the enhancement module to the in-orbit host satellite; and an enhancement module transmitter, the enhancement module transmitter providing communication of enhancement module data with a communications device remote from the in-orbit host satellite, the enhancement module data comprising at least one of an enhancement module state information and an enhancement module payload data.
2 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 1 , wherein the existing structural component comprises at least one of a launch adaptor ring, a radiator panel, a solar array boom, and an antennae boom.
3 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 1 , wherein the payload comprises at least one of an electro-optical sensor, an infrared sensor, a hyperspectral sensor, a communications system, a satellite spatial position sensor, a range sensor, a navigation sensor, a proximity sensor for detecting other objects in-orbit, and a science instrument.
4 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 1 , further comprising: a transfer vehicle for transferring the enhancement module from a first location to a second location; and a service vehicle for receiving the enhancement module from the transfer vehicle and installing the enhancement module on the in-orbit host satellite.
5 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 4 , wherein the service vehicle removes at least one existing enhancement module from the in-orbit host satellite.
6 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 1 , further comprising a service vehicle for transferring the enhancement module from a first location to a second location and for installing the enhancement module on the in-orbit host satellite or for removing at least one existing enhancement module from the in-orbit host satellite.
7 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 1 , further comprising additional enhancement modules attached to the in-orbit host satellite to form an in-space mesh network.
8 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 1 , wherein the enhancement module uses at least one of electro-optical, Radio Detection and Ranging, Light Detection and Ranging, infrared, hyper-spectral, and radio frequency to determine space object information related to characteristics of other space objects in-orbit comprising at least one a relative size, a geometry, and identification.
9 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 8 , wherein the enhancement module transmits the space object information to a ground-based space situational awareness system.
10 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 1 , wherein the enhancement module is configured to communicate with other space assets.
11 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 7 , further comprising at least one more additional in-orbit host satellite, wherein the additional enhancement modules are attached to at least one of the additional in-orbit host satellites to form a space situational awareness mesh network that transmits additional object information to a ground-based space situational awareness system.
12 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 7 , further comprising at least one more additional in-orbit host satellite, wherein the additional enhancement modules are attached to at least one of the additional in-orbit host satellites to form a hub and spoke space situational awareness network that transmits additional object information to a ground-based space situational awareness system.
13 . The system for upgrading an in-orbit host satellite of claim 7 , further comprising at least one more additional in-orbit host satellite, wherein the additional enhancement modules are attached to at least one of the additional in-orbit host satellites to form a space situational awareness hub and spoke hybrid mesh network that transmits additional object information to a ground-based space situational awareness system.
14 . A system for upgrading multiple in-orbit host satellites with enhancement modules, wherein the in-orbit host satellites are without independent attachment interfaces for receiving the enhancement modules, the system comprising; multiple in-orbit host satellites; at least two enhancement modules; the enhancement modules each having a payload configured to add at least one new capability to the multiple in-orbit host satellites, each enhancement module further comprising: at least one of an independent power subsystem and an independent communications subsystem such that the enhancement module does not require power or data connection to any of the multiple in-orbit host satellite; and a clamp to attach the enhancement module to an existing structural component of one of the multiple in-orbit host satellites, wherein after each enhancement module is attached to that in-orbit host satellite, running a calibration routine using state data from both that in-orbit host satellite and the enhancement module to determine a relative orientation of the enhancement module to that in-orbit host satellite; and an enhancement module transmitter, the enhancement module transmitter providing communication of enhancement module data with a communications device remote from the multiple in-orbit host satellites, the enhancement module data comprising at least one of an enhancement module state information and an enhancement module payload data.
15 . The system for upgrading multiple in-orbit host satellites of claim 14 , wherein the existing structural component comprises at least one of a launch adaptor ring, a radiator panel, a solar array boom, and an antennae boom.
16 . The system for upgrading multiple in-orbit host satellites of claim 14 , wherein each payload comprises at least one of an electro-optical sensor, an infrared sensor, a hyperspectral sensor, a communications system, a satellite spatial position sensor, a range sensor, a navigation sensor, a proximity sensor for detecting other objects in-orbit, and a science instrument.
17 . The system for upgrading multiple in-orbit host satellites of claim 14 , wherein at least one of location, speed, acceleration, and orbital trajectory of other objects is determined and wherein the enhancement modules communicate to create an in-orbit mesh network between the in-orbit host satellites.
18 . The system for upgrading multiple in-orbit host satellites of claim 14 , wherein at least one of the enhancement modules uses at least one of electro-optical, Radio Detection and Ranging, Light Detection and Ranging, infrared, hyper-spectral, and radio frequency to determine space object information related to characteristics of other space objects in-orbit comprising at least one a relative size, a geometry, and identification.
19 . The system for upgrading multiple in-orbit host satellites of claim 18 , wherein a first enhancement module on a first in-orbit host satellite transmits the space object information to a ground-based space situational awareness system.
20 . The system for upgrading multiple in-orbit host satellites of claim 14 , wherein at least one enhancement module communicates with other space assets.

Description

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This Patent Application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/143,780 entitled “MULTI-COMPONENT SATELLITE NETWORK,” filed on May 5, 2023, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/143,744 entitled “MULTI-COMPONENT MULTI-SATELLITE NETWORK,” filed on May 5, 2023, and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 18/035,570 entitled “ATTACHMENT SYSTEMS FOR AUGMENTING SATELLITES,” filed on May 5, 2023, which is a national stage entry application claiming priority under 35 U.S.C. § 371(c) to PCT/IB2021/060284, entitled “DEVICES, SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR AUGMENTING SATELLITES,” filed Nov. 5, 2021, which is related to and claims priority under 35 U.S.C. § 119(e) to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63/198,692, entitled “NOVEL METHOD TO AUGMENT EXISTING SATELLITES WITH SITUATIONAL AWARENESS SENSING CAPABILITY,” filed Nov. 5, 2020, all of which are incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. FIELD OF THE INVENTION The invention relates to the augmentation of satellites, for example, by providing an enhancement module that adds a capability to the satellite, modifies the function of the satellite, and/or extends the function of the satellite. BACKGROUND Satellite operations have remained essentially unchanged since 1957 when the first manmade object was launched into orbit. With the exception of the Hubble Space Telescope and the International Space Station, both of which required manned missions to service, satellites are launched with a certain level of hardware technology capability which does not change throughout the duration of the satellite's mission. Due to the long lifespans necessitated by the large, combined asset and launch costs, the result is outdated technology in space assets long before their end of life. In other words, while the rate of technological advancement is exponentially increasing, the traditional method of satellite development and operation has not been able to maintain this same pace due to the unit economics and cost of space access. As a result, technology on orbit significantly lags terrestrial capabilities on average and at any given point in time. In this regard, satellite-based business models are bottlenecked by the current mode of satellite operations causing new, innovative business models to be economically infeasible. This is caused by two primary reasons-satellite operations and satellite design. As it relates to the traditional satellite design process, satellites are typically produced as a one-off design or a series of similar designs discretely designed to serve one specific set of mission objectives. While some base-level design decisions and components, such as the main bus, can be used across several different missions and satellite designs, the general industry process is to redesign and produce a new, specific solution to serve a certain purpose, even if much of the componentry is similar across missions. A different set of mission objectives or different payload technology will often necessitate a redesign of several subsystems, if not the entire satellite. This method of designing and integrating satellites is costly and skilled-labor intensive, and the resulting product is not assembled in a manner that can be easily taken apart for servicing or repair on the ground by the skilled technicians that built the satellite, let alone on-orbit by a general servicing satellite. Moreover, due to high asset cost and necessary long lifespan for full asset depreciation and return on investment under the current systems of satellite operations, the technology in orbit at any discrete point in time significantly lags the technology available terrestrially. The nature of these systems results in a relatively static commercial (and governmental) technological space marketplace as expansion into dynamic marketspaces with changing customer behavior is effectively infeasible due to financial considerations. Thus, systems are currently in development along the lines of limited in-orbit repair and small lifetime extensions. However, both are problem mitigations, not solutions, due to the static nature of the value providing technology contained by the satellite. Moreover, there is little technology that addresses incorporating regularly planned, autonomous or semi-autonomous in-orbit hardware exchanges to increase the capabilities of space assets such as satellites, thereby enabling longer lifespan for satellites and similar space assets and which ultimately allow for new business models to be explored by satellite operators as the hardware limitations imposed by launching a static technology level are removed. Additionally, geosynchronous and/or geostationary orbits (GEO) provide significant benefit to humanity and continue to be used in high-value, high-need economic ventures as well as significantly valuable scientific endeavors. However, while collisions between space assets or collisions between space ass