Stackable satellite structure and deployment method

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11492147-B2
Application number	US-202016943203-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 30, 2020
Priority date	Jul 30, 2020
Publication date	Nov 8, 2022
Grant date	Nov 8, 2022

Abstract

An apparatus includes a satellite in the form of a plate having a thickness being smaller than a width of the satellite. The apparatus also includes a plurality of contact points distributed on a face of the satellite, allowing for one or more additional satellites to be stacked upon the satellite.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A satellite, comprising:
a structural plate having a thickness smaller than a width of the satellite, the structural plate composed of a sandwich panel comprising two face sheets and a low-density core material (“core material”), each face sheet directly bonded to an outer surface of the core material;
components protruding above and/or below the structural plate; and
cutouts in the structural plate displaced from the protruding components configured to facilitate stacking of the satellite with an adjacent satellite, the satellite and the adjacent satellite being clocked with respect to one another.

2. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the core material is a honeycomb material or a foam material configured to provide structural rigidity while minimizing mass.

3. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the two face sheets are composed of aluminum or composite material, or printed circuit boards.

4. The satellite of claim 1 , further comprising:
non-structural components between the two face sheets in one or more cavities of the core material.

5. The satellite of claim 1 , further comprising:
one or more solar cells exposed to sunlight are distributed on one or both of the two face sheets.

6. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the sandwich panel comprises one or more gaps through the core material and the one or both of the two face sheets into which non-structural components are inserted.

7. The satellite of claim 6 , wherein the one or more gaps are configured to distribute the non-structural components in one or more chassis boxes sized to fit the one or more gaps.

8. The satellite of claim 7 , wherein the one or more chassis boxes incorporate a structural element in form of a pin supporting a top and bottom of the plurality of contact points, preventing any gaps in a pattern of the plurality of contact points.

9. The of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of contact points are distributed across the two face sheets in a pattern common to all satellites in a stack of satellites.

10. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of contact points are configured to carry launch loads through a stack of satellites without surface-to-surface contact between the satellite and other satellites in the stack.

11. The satellite of claim of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of contact points are load-bearing pins extending through a thickness of the satellite and protruding through the two face sheets.

12. The satellite of claim 11 , wherein the load bearing pins are configured to carry a load without damaging the satellite, and
the load bearing pins attached to the satellite, restraining the satellite from movement relative to the load bearing pins.

13. The satellite of claim 11 , wherein the load bearing pins comprise a spherical top surface combined with a conical recess, and
when the satellite is stacked on top of another satellite, a surface of the conical recess rests on top of a spherical surface of a load bearing pin of the other satellite.

14. A system, comprising:
a plurality of satellites, each comprising:
a structural plate having a thickness smaller than a width of each of the plurality of satellites, the structural plate composed of a sandwich panel comprising two face sheets and a low-density core material (“core material”), each face sheet directly bonded to an outer surface of the core material, and
a plurality of contact points distributed on a face of each of the plurality of satellites, each of the plurality of contact points are configured to facilitate stacking of the plurality of satellites directly on top of one another,

wherein two or more of the plurality of satellites comprising
components protruding above and/or below the structural plate, and
cutouts in the structural plate displaced from the protruding components configured to facilitate stacking of the plurality of satellites when adjacent satellites in a stack of the plurality of satellites are clocked with respect to one another.

15. An apparatus, comprising:
two or more satellites , each comprising
a structural plate having a thickness smaller than a width of the two or more satellites, wherein the structural plate composed of a sandwich panel comprising two face sheets and a low-density core material (“core material”), each face sheet directly bonded to an outer surface of the core material; and
a plurality of contact points distributed on a face of the two or more satellites, each of the plurality of contact points are configured to facilitate stacking of the two or more satellites directly on top of one another,

wherein each of the two or more satellites comprising
components protruding above and/or below the structural plate, and
cutouts in the structural plate displaced from the protruding components configured to facilitate stacking of the two or more satellites when adjacent satellites are clocked with respect to one another in a stack of the two or more satellites.

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the sandwich panel comprises one or more gaps through the core material and the one or both of the two face sheets into which non-structural components are inserted.

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the one or more gaps are configured to distribute the non-structural components in one or more chassis boxes sized to fit the one or more gaps.

18. The apparatus of claim 17 , wherein the one or more chassis boxes incorporates a structural element in form of a pin supporting a top and bottom of the plurality of contact points, preventing gaps in a pattern of the plurality of contact points.

19. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein, when the two or more satellites are stacked on top of one another, at least one of the two or more satellites is oriented at an angle with respect to an adjacent satellite, allowing protruding elements of the at least one of the two or more satellites to fit within cutouts in the adjacent satellite.

20. The system of claim 14 , when one of the plurality of satellites is stacked on another one of the plurality of satellites, the one of the plurality of the satellites is oriented at an angle with respect to the other one of the plurality of satellites, allowing protruding elements of the one of the plurality of satellites to fit within the cutouts of the other one of the plurality of satellites.

21. The satellite of claim 1 , further comprising:
a plurality of contact points distributed on a face of the satellite, each of the plurality of contact points are configured to facilitate stacking of one or more additional satellites directly on top of the satellite.

Assignees

• Aerospace Corp

Inventors

• Welle Richard P

Classifications

• B64G1/641 Primary

  Interstage or payload connectors (docking systems B64G1/646) · CPC title

• B64G1/10

  Artificial satellites; Systems of such satellites; Interplanetary vehicles (space shuttles B64G1/14) · CPC title

• B64G1/443

  Photovoltaic cell arrays · CPC title

• B64G1/244

  Spacecraft control systems · CPC title

• B64G1/1085

  Swarms and constellations · CPC title