Fold-out satellite with integrated radiator panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12227313-B2
Application number	US-202117538161-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 30, 2021
Priority date	Nov 30, 2021
Publication date	Feb 18, 2025
Grant date	Feb 18, 2025

Abstract

A satellite includes a first radiator panel with first heat-generating components attached to its surface and a second radiator panel with second heat-generating components attached to its surface. One or more actuators are configured to deploy the first and second radiator panels from a compact configuration in which the first and second radiator panels are overlapping to a deployed configuration in which the first and second radiator panels are non-overlapping.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A satellite comprising:
a first radiator panel having one or more first heat-generating components mounted on a first surface;
a second radiator panel having one or more second heat-generating components mounted on a first surface;
a third radiator panel having one or more third heat-generating components mounted on a first surface; and
two or more actuators configured to deploy the first, second and third radiator panels from a compact configuration in which the first, second and third radiator panels are overlapping to a deployed configuration in which the first, second and third radiator panels are non-overlapping and the first surfaces of the first, second and third radiator panels are parallel in the compact configuration, in the deployed configuration and during deployment from the compact configuration to the deployed configuration.

2. The satellite of claim 1 wherein the first radiator panel has a first area to radiate all heat generated by the one or more first heat-generating components attached to the first surface of the first radiator panel when in space and the second radiator panel has a second area to radiate all heat generated by the one or more second heat-generating components attached to the first surface of the second radiator panel when in space.

3. The satellite of claim 1 further comprising a fourth radiator panel that is in a fixed parallel configuration with respect to the first radiator panel such that the one or more first heat-generating components are located between the first and fourth radiator panels.

4. The satellite of claim 3 wherein the one or more first heat-generating components are additionally attached to a first surface of the fourth radiator panel to enable dissipation of heat from the one or more first heat-generating components to both the first and fourth radiator panels.

5. The satellite of claim 3 further comprising one or more fourth heat-generating components attached to a first surface of the fourth radiator panel.

6. The satellite of claim 3 further comprising a fifth radiator panel that is in fixed parallel configuration with respect to the second radiator panel such that the one or more second heat-generating components are located between the second and the fifth radiator panels.

7. The satellite of claim 1 wherein the one or more first heat-generating components are satellite bus components and the one or more second heat-generating components are satellite payload components.

8. The satellite of claim 1 , wherein the two or more actuators include a first actuator configured to rotate the first radiator panel with respect to the second radiator panel and a second actuator configured to rotate the second radiator panel with respect to the third radiator panel.

9. The satellite of claim 1 further comprising:
one or more additional radiator panels having one or more additional heat-generating components attached to a first surface, the one or more additional radiator panels is deployable with the first, second and third radiator panels from the compact configuration in which the first, second, third and the one or more additional radiator panels are substantially overlapping to the deployed configuration in which the first, second, third and the one or more additional radiator panels are substantially non-overlapping.

10. The satellite of claim 1 wherein the first, second and third radiator panels are formed of aluminum and include heat pipes extending parallel to the first surface.

11. An apparatus comprising:
a first radiator panel extending along a first plane, the first radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the first plane;
one or more first heat-generating components directly attached to the first surface of the first radiator panel;
a second radiator panel extending along a second plane, the second radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the second plane;
one or more second heat-generating components directly attached to the first surface of the second radiator panel;
a third radiator panel extending along a third plane, the third radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the third plane;
one or more third heat-generating components directly attached to the first surface of the third radiator panel;
two or more actuators configured to deploy the first, second and third radiator panels from a compact configuration in which the first, second and third radiator panels overlap to a deployed configuration in which the first, second and third radiator panels extend such that the second surface of each of the first, second and third radiator panels are unobscured by other radiator panels; and
wherein the first surfaces of the first, second and third radiator panels are parallel in the compact configuration, in the deployed configuration and during deployment from the compact configuration to the deployed configuration.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:
a fourth radiator panel having a fixed position with respect to the first radiator panel, the fourth radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the first plane, the one or more first heat-generating components are directly attached to the first surface of the fourth radiator panel;
a fifth radiator panel having a fixed position with respect to the second radiator panel, the fifth radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the second plane, the one or more second heat-generating components that are directly attached to the first surface of the fifth radiator panel; and
a sixth radiator panel having a fixed position with respect to the third radiator panel, the sixth radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the third plane, the one or more third heat-generating components are directly attached to the first surface of the fifth radiator panel.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein:
the one or more first heat-generating components are located between first surfaces of the first and fourth radiator panels and are directly attached to the first surfaces of the first and fourth radiator panels;
the one or more second heat-generating components are located between first surfaces of the second and fifth radiator panels and are directly attached to the first surfaces of the second and fifth radiator panels; and
the one or more third heat-generating components are located between first surfaces of the third and sixth radiator panels and are directly attached to the first surfaces of the third and sixth radiator panels.

14. The apparatus of claim 11 further comprising:
a fourth radiator panel having a fixed position with respect to the first radiator panel, the fourth radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the first plane;
one or more fourth heat-generating components that are directly attached to the first surface of the fourth radiator panel;
a fifth radiator panel having a fixed position with respect to the second radiator panel, the fifth radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the second plane;
one or more fifth heat-generating components that are attached to the first surface of the fifth radiator panel;
a sixth radiator panel having a fixed position with respect to the third radiator panel, the sixth radiator panel having a first surface and a second surface parallel to the third plane; and
one or more sixth heat-generating components that are attached to the first surface of the sixth radiator panel.

15. The app

Assignees

• Maxar Space Llc

Inventors

• Freestone Michael
• Boccio Joel

Classifications

• B64G1/222

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

• B64G1/2224

  about multiple axes · CPC title

• B64G1/506 Primary

  Heat pipes · CPC title

• B64G1/443

  Photovoltaic cell arrays · CPC title

• H05K7/20336

  Heat pipes, e.g. wicks or capillary pumps · CPC title