Satellite comprising electrical propulsion means, method for placing such a satellite in a station and method for keeping said satellite in its station

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9926087-B2
Application number	US-201615549165-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 9, 2016
Priority date	Feb 10, 2015
Publication date	Mar 27, 2018
Grant date	Mar 27, 2018

Abstract

A satellite, intended to be placed in a station in orbit about a celestial body, including a first electrical thruster of orientatable thrust direction, a second electrical thruster of orientatable thrust direction, and an electrical thruster of fixed orientation that is fixed with respect to the satellite and of line of thrust passing through the center of gravity of the satellite. The satellite includes two electrical-thruster power units and an electrically interconnecting network connecting a first power unit to the first thruster of orientatable thrust direction and to the thruster of fixed orientation, and connecting a second power unit to the second thruster of orientatable thrust direction and to the thruster of fixed orientation. Each of the power units is configured to power either the associated thruster of orientatable thrust direction or the thruster of fixed orientation.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A satellite configured to be stationed in a mission orbit around a celestial body, comprising:
an Earth face configured to be disposed facing the Earth when the satellite is on a station and an opposite anti-Earth face, the satellite defining a satellite frame of reference centered on a center of mass of the satellite and the satellite frame of reference comprising three axes X, Y and Z, the axis Z configured to be directed towards the Earth when the satellite is on the station;
a propulsion device comprising a first electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction and a second electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction;
at least two electrical-thruster power units and an electrically interconnecting network connecting a first electrical-thruster power unit to the first electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction and connecting a second electrical-thruster power unit to the second electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction;
wherein the propulsion device further comprises an electrical thruster of fixed orientation relative to the satellite, the electric thruster of fixed orientation having a thrust line aligned with an axis Z and passing through the center of mass of the satellite; and
wherein the electrically interconnecting network connects each electrical-thruster power unit to the electrical thruster of fixed orientation so that each electrical-thruster power unit is configured to supply power to either an associated electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction or the electrical thruster of fixed orientation.

2. The satellite as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electrical thruster of fixed orientation is disposed on the anti-Earth face of the satellite.

3. The satellite as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising at least three electrical-thruster power units; and wherein the electrically interconnecting network connects each electrical-thruster power unit to at least one electrical thruster of the propulsion device so that the electrical thruster of fixed orientation, and first and second electrical thrusters of orientable thrust direction can be used simultaneously.

4. The satellite as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of electrical thrusters of fixed orientation relative to the satellite, with thrust lines aligned with the axis Z and passing substantially through the center of mass of the satellite, disposed on a same face of the satellite.

5. The satellite as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the electrical thrusters of the propulsion device are all compatible with the electrical-thruster power units.

6. The satellite as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the propulsion device further comprises a first additional electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction disposed on a same face of the satellite as the first electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction.

7. The satellite as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the propulsion device further comprises a second additional electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction disposed on a same face of the satellite as the second electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction.

8. The satellite as claimed in claim 7 , further comprising a third electrical-thruster power unit; and wherein the electrically interconnecting network connects the third electrical-thruster power unit to the first additional electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction and to the second additional electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction.

9. The satellite as claimed in claim 1 , further comprising a movement device to move each of the first electrical thruster and the second electrical thruster in the satellite frame of reference.

10. The satellite as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the movement device is common to the first electrical thruster and the second electrical thruster disposed on a same face of the satellite.

11. The satellite as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the movement device comprises two articulated arms, each articulated arm carrying one of the first electrical thruster and the second electrical thruster, and each articulated arm comprising at least three articulations, each articulation having at least one degree of freedom in rotation about a rotation axis.

12. The satellite as claimed in claim 11 , wherein each articulated arm carries an additional electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction disposed on a same face of the satellite as an electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction associated with said each articulated arm.

13. A method of transferring the satellite as claimed in claim 1 from an initial orbit into the mission orbit around the celestial body by connecting each electrical-thruster power unit to the electrical thruster of fixed orientation by the electrically interconnecting network so that the electrical thruster of fixed orientation and at least one electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction can be used simultaneously; and propelling the satellite by simultaneously using the electrical thruster of fixed orientation relative to the satellite and said at least one electrical thruster of orientable thrust direction.

14. The method as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the satellite comprises at least three electrical-thruster power units; and comprising steps of:
connecting each electrical-thruster power unit to at least one electrical thruster of the propulsion device by the electrically interconnecting network so that the electrical thruster of fixed orientation and two electrical thrusters of orientable thrust direction can be used simultaneously; and
propelling the satellite by simultaneously using the electrical thruster of fixed orientation and at least two electrical thrusters of orientable thrust direction disposed on different faces of the satellite.

15. A method for a remote control of the satellite to perform the steps of the method of transferring the satellite as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the satellite is remote-controlled by a control device, control signals are successively determined and sent to the satellite by the control device.

16. A computer program product recorded on a non-transitory media comprising program code instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of transferring the satellite as claimed in claim 13 .

17. A method of orbit and attitude control of the satellite as claimed in claim 1 in the mission orbit around the celestial body by propelling the satellite by the electrical thruster of fixed orientation relative to the satellite.

18. A method for a remote control of the satellite to perform the step of the orbit and attitude control of a satellite as claimed in claim 17 , wherein the satellite is remote-controlled by a control device, control signals are successively determined and sent to the satellite by the control device.

19. A computer program product recorded on a non-transitory media comprising program code instructions executable by a processor to perform the method of orbit and attitude control of the satellite as claimed in claim 17 .

Assignees

• Airbus Defence & Space Sas

Inventors

• Doubrere Patrick

Classifications

• B64G1/26 Primary

  using jets · CPC title

• B64G1/242

  Orbits and trajectories · CPC title

• B64G1/40 Primary

  Arrangements or adaptations of propulsion systems · CPC title

• B64G1/007

  Operations & Transport · mapped topic

• B64G1/411

  Electric propulsion · CPC title