Efficient stationkeeping design for mixed fuel systems in response to a failure of an electric thruster

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9963249-B2
Application number	US-201514753690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 29, 2015
Priority date	Jun 29, 2015
Publication date	May 8, 2018
Grant date	May 8, 2018

Abstract

Apparatus and methods for stationkeeping in a satellite. The satellite includes a north electric thruster and a south electric installed on a zenith side, an east chemical thruster installed on an east side, and a west chemical thruster installed on a west side. An orbit controller detects a failure of one of the electric thrusters. In response to the failure, the orbit controller controls a burn of the remaining electric thruster proximate to an orbital node. The orbit controller controls a burn of one of the chemical thrusters at 90°±5° from the burn of the remaining electric thruster, and controls a burn of the other one of the chemical thrusters at 270°±5° from the burn of the remaining electric thruster.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising:
an orbit controller configured to control stationkeeping maneuvers of a satellite, wherein the satellite comprises:
a satellite bus having a nadir side configured to face the Earth and a zenith side opposite the nadir side;
a north electric thruster installed toward a north region of the zenith side and oriented downward to produce thrust through a center of mass of the satellite;
a south electric thruster installed toward a south region of the zenith side and oriented upward to produce thrust through the center of mass of the satellite;
an east chemical thruster installed on an east side of the satellite bus to produce thrust through the center of mass of the satellite; and
a west chemical thruster installed on a west side of the satellite bus to produce thrust through the center of mass of the satellite; and

the orbit controller is configured to detect a failure of one of the electric thrusters, and in response to the failure, to:
determine a total burn time to compensate for inclination of an orbital plane of an orbit of the satellite;
control a burn of the remaining electric thruster proximate to one of an ascending node or a descending node for a duration of the total burn time;
control a burn of one of the chemical thrusters at 90°±5° from the burn of the remaining electric thruster; and
control a burn of the other one of the chemical thrusters at 270°±5° from the burn of the remaining electric thruster.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the burn of the remaining electric thruster produces a radial velocity change of the satellite, wherein the radial velocity change produces a delta-eccentricity component for the orbit of the satellite due to the burn of the remaining electric thruster;
the burn of the one chemical thruster at 90°±5° produces a first tangential velocity change of the satellite, wherein the first tangential velocity change produces a delta-eccentricity component due to the burn of the one chemical thruster; and
the burn of the other chemical thruster at 270°±5° produces a second tangential velocity change of the satellite, wherein the second tangential velocity change produces a delta-eccentricity component due to the burn of the other chemical thruster; and
the delta-eccentricity components due to the burns of the chemical thrusters compensate for the delta-eccentricity component due to the burn of the remaining electric thruster.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the orbit controller is configured to detect a failure of the north electric thruster, and to control a burn of the south electric thruster at proximate to the descending node for the duration of the total burn time; and
the orbit controller is configured to control a retrograde burn of the east chemical thruster at 90°±5° from the burn of the south electric thruster, and to control a prograde burn of the west chemical thruster at 270°±5° from the burn of the south electric thruster.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the orbit controller is configured to detect a failure of the south electric thruster, and to control a burn of the north electric thruster proximate to the ascending node for the duration of the total burn time; and
the orbit controller is configured to control a retrograde burn of the east chemical thruster at 90°±5° from the burn of the north electric thruster, and to control a prograde burn of the west chemical thruster at 270°±5° from the burn of the north electric thruster.

5. The apparatus of claim 1 wherein:
the north electric thruster is oriented at a first angle from a north-south axis of the satellite, wherein the first angle is 35°±25°; and
the south electric thruster is oriented at a second angle from the north-south axis of the satellite, wherein the second angle is 35°±25°.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein:
the north electric thruster is gimbaled;
the south electric thruster is gimbaled; and
the orbit controller is configured to adjust the first angle of the north electric thruster, and to adjust the second angle of the south electric thruster.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein:
the north electric thruster is fixed at the first angle; and
the south electric thruster is fixed at the second angle.

8. A method for controlling stationkeeping maneuvers for a satellite, wherein the satellite comprises a satellite bus having a nadir side and a zenith side, a north electric thruster installed toward a north region of the zenith side and oriented downward to produce thrust through a center of mass of the satellite, a south electric thruster installed toward a south region of the zenith side and oriented upward to produce thrust through the center of mass of the satellite, an east chemical thruster installed on an east side of the satellite bus to produce thrust through the center of mass of the satellite, and a west chemical thruster installed on a west side of the satellite bus to produce thrust through the center of mass of the satellite, the method comprising:
detecting a failure of one of the electric thrusters; and
in response to the failure,
determining a total burn time to compensate for inclination of an orbital plane of an orbit of the satellite;
controlling a burn of the remaining electric thruster proximate to one of an ascending node or a descending node for a duration of the total burn time;
controlling a burn of one of the chemical thrusters at 90°±5° from the burn of the remaining electric thruster; and
controlling a burn of the other one of the chemical thrusters at 270°±5° from the burn of the remaining electric thruster.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein:
the burn of the remaining electric thruster produces a radial velocity change of the satellite, wherein the radial velocity change produces a delta-eccentricity component for the orbit of the satellite due to the burn of the remaining electric thruster;
the burn of the one chemical thruster at 90°±5° produces a first tangential velocity change of the satellite, wherein the first tangential velocity change produces a delta-eccentricity component due to the burn of the one chemical thruster; and
the burn of the other chemical thruster at 270°±5° produces a second tangential velocity change of the satellite, wherein the second tangential velocity change produces a delta-eccentricity component due to the burn of the other chemical thruster; and
the delta-eccentricity components due to the burns of the chemical thrusters compensate for the delta-eccentricity component due to the burn of the remaining electric thruster.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein:
detecting a failure of one of the electric thrusters comprises detecting a failure of the north electric thruster; and
controlling the burns comprises:
controlling a burn of the south electric thruster proximate to the descending node for the duration of the total burn time;
controlling a retrograde burn of the east chemical thruster at 90°±5° from the burn of the south electric thruster; and
controlling a prograde burn of the west chemical thruster at 270°±5° from the burn of the south electric thruster.

11. The method of claim 8 wherein:
detecting a failure of one of the electric thrusters comprises detecting a failure of the south electric thruster; and
controlling the burns comprises:
controlling a burn of the north electric thruster proximate to the ascending node for the duration of the total burn time;
controlling a retrograde burn of the east chemical thruster at 90°±5° from the burn of the north electric thruster; and
controlling a prograde burn of the west chemical thruster at 270°±5° from the burn of the north electric thruster.

Assignees

• Boeing Co

Inventors

• Ho Yiu-Hung Monte
• Noel Jeffrey Scott
• Giacobe Andrew Henry

Classifications

• B64G1/262 Primary

  having adjustable angles, e.g. gimbaled thrusters · CPC title

• B64G1/244

  Spacecraft control systems · CPC title

• B64G1/1007 Primary

  Communications satellites · CPC title

• B64G1/242 Primary

  Orbits and trajectories · CPC title

• B64G1/26 Primary

  using jets · CPC title