Thruster arrangement for geosynchronous orbit spacecraft

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10183765-B2
Application number	US-201414207389-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2014
Priority date	Mar 12, 2014
Publication date	Jan 22, 2019
Grant date	Jan 22, 2019

Abstract

According to some aspects of the subject disclosure, a spacecraft comprises first and second pluralities of thrusters. The pluralities of thrusters are attached to a spacecraft body by booms configured to move the first plurality of thrusters between stowed and deployed positions. The deployed position of the first plurality of thrusters is farther north than is the stowed position of the first plurality of thrusters. The deployed position of the second plurality of thrusters is farther south than is the stowed position of the second plurality of thrusters. The first plurality of thrusters comprises a first thruster and a second thruster separated from each other in an east-west direction. The second plurality of thrusters comprises a third thruster and a fourth thruster separated from each other in the east-west direction.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A spacecraft, comprising:
a spacecraft body;
at least one solar array configured to move from a stored position to a deployed position away from the spacecraft body; and
a first thruster boom and a second thruster boom positioned on opposing sides of the spacecraft body, each thruster boom comprising arms connected to a lateral member between the arms at an end of the arms proximate the spacecraft body,
wherein, for at least one of the first and second thruster booms, an end of each of the arms is operably coupled to a radiator panel and a propulsion thruster at an end of the arm distal from the spacecraft body, each radiator panel being separated from each other and positioned substantially planer with the boom, each propulsion thruster being fixed relative to the respective radiator panel to provide a thrust plume offset from an axis along the respective arm, and
wherein when each of the first and second thruster booms, and the arms of the thruster booms, is positioned substantially orthogonal to one of the opposing sides of the spacecraft body, each propulsion thruster provides the thrust plume in a direction substantially along a vector passing through a center of mass of the spacecraft and away from a respective radiator panel and the at least one solar array when the at least one solar array is in the deployed position.

2. The spacecraft of claim 1 , further comprising:
wherein the spacecraft body comprises a forward end, an aft end, a north side, a south side, an east side, and a west side, the spacecraft body has an x-axis, a y-axis, and a z-axis, the x-axis extending in a forward-aft direction, the y-axis extending in an east-west direction, the z-axis extending in a north-south direction, and the x-axis, the y-axis, and the z-axis being orthogonal to each other;
wherein the first thruster boom is positioned on a north side of the spacecraft body; and
wherein the second thruster boom is positioned on a south side of the spacecraft body;
wherein each of the first and second thruster booms pivots, at a hinge, between a stowed position and at least one thruster-firing position, and is rotatable about at least two nonparallel axes;
wherein, for at least one of the first and second thruster booms, a first radiator panel is disposed at first propulsion thruster, a second radiator panel is disposed at a second propulsion thruster, and the first radiator panel and the second radiator panel are spaced from each other along the y-axis.

3. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein each propulsion thruster comprises an ion thruster.

4. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein each propulsion thruster comprises a Hall Current Thruster.

5. The spacecraft of claim 2 , wherein each thruster boom has a length, from an attachment of the thruster boom to the spacecraft body to an attachment of the thruster boom to a respective propulsion thruster of the thruster boom, of at least 20 inches as measured by a projection of the thruster boom into a plane defined by the x-axis and the z-axis.

6. The spacecraft of claim 5 , wherein the length of the thruster boom is adjustable during operation of the spacecraft.

7. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein a gimbal of each thruster boom has at least two nonparallel axes.

8. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the propulsion thrusters is attached to a corresponding thruster boom by a hinge.

9. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the propulsion thrusters is attached to a corresponding boom by a gimbal having at least two nonparallel axes.

10. The spacecraft of claim 2 , wherein each of the propulsion thrusters of a corresponding thruster boom are separated by at least 20 inches.

11. The spacecraft of claim 10 , wherein each of the propulsion thrusters is separated from a boom azimuth axis by at least 10 inches along the y-axis.

12. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein at least one of the propulsion thrusters is attached to a corresponding thruster boom by an elevation bracket at the angle offset from an axis along the arm such that, when the corresponding boom is in a stationkeeping position, the thrust vector of the at least one propulsion thruster intersects a center of mass of the spacecraft.

13. The spacecraft of claim 2 , wherein each thruster boom has a length, from an attachment of that thruster boom to the spacecraft body to an attachment of that thruster boom to a respective propulsion thruster of the thruster boom, of at least 20 inches as measured in a north-south direction when that thruster boom is at a position of maximum displacement in the north-south direction of the one of the thrusters from a center of mass of the spacecraft.

14. The spacecraft of claim 2 , wherein each of the propulsion thrusters of a corresponding thruster boom are separated in the east-west direction by at least 20 inches.

15. The spacecraft of claim 1 , wherein the end of each of the arms is located opposite the lateral member.

16. The spacecraft of claim 15 , wherein each propulsion thruster is positioned to direct the plume of the respective propulsion thruster away from the at least one solar array when the thrust vector of the respective propulsion thruster is through a center of mass of the spacecraft body and when the at least one solar array is in the deployed position.

17. A method of operating a spacecraft, the method comprising:
moving a first plurality of thrusters, attached to a spacecraft body by a first boom and a first hinge, from a stowed position to a firing position, wherein the first plurality of thrusters is positioned north of a north side of the spacecraft body in the stowed position with the first plurality of thrusters pointing away from a second plurality of thrusters and the north side of the spacecraft body, wherein the firing position of the first plurality of thrusters is farther north of the north side of the spacecraft body than is the stowed position of the first plurality of thrusters,
wherein the first plurality of thrusters comprises a first thruster and a second thruster separated from each other in an east-west direction, the first boom comprising a first arm and a second arm extending from a lateral member connected between the first and second arms at an end of the arms proximate the spacecraft body and with a space between the first arm and the second arm, the first thruster and a first radiator panel attached to an end of the first arm distal from the spacecraft body, and the second thruster and a second radiator panel attached to an end of the second arm distal from the spacecraft body, the first radiator panel and the second radiator panel being spaced from each other in an east-west direction and substantially planar with the arms of the first boom;
moving the second plurality of thrusters, attached to the spacecraft body by a second boom and a second hinge, from the stowed position to the firing position, wherein the second plurality of thrusters is positioned south of a south side of the spacecraft body in the stowed position of the second plurality of thrusters with the second plurality of thrusters pointing away from the first plurality of thrusters and the north side of the spacecraft body, wherein the firing position of the second plurality of thrusters is farther south of the south side of the spacecraft body than is the stowed position of the second plurality of thrusters,
wherein the second plurality of thrusters comprises a third thruster and a fourth thruster separated from each other in the east-west direction, the second boom comprising a third arm and a fourth ar

Assignees

• Lockheed Corp

Inventors

• Bibighaus Brian P
• Sciulli Dominic Anthony
• Goodzeit Neil E
• Milien Johnny

Classifications

• B64G1/413 Primary

  Ion or plasma engines · CPC title

• B64G1/405

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64G1/222

  for deploying structures between a stowed and deployed state · CPC title

• B64G1/26 Primary

  using jets · CPC title

• B64G1/2222

  Folding · CPC title