Class 244/158.4 - Spacecraft formation, orbit, or interplanetary path

Subclass of Class 244 - Aeronautics and astronautics
Definition: Subject matter including details of an arrangement of plural
No. of patents: 30
Last issue date: 01/17/2012

Number	Title	Issue Date
8096511	System for controlling the deployment of spacecraft required to fly in formation, by simultaneous and high-precision determination of their positions A system is dedicated to the control of the deployment of at least two spacecraft (ES1, ES2) which are provided with maneuvering means (MD1, MD2) and are intended to move according to a chosen formation. This system includes a control dev...	01/17/2012
7946533	Optimized land mobile satellite system for North American coverage A constellation, including a plurality of spacecraft, including a first, second and third spacecraft, each of the plurality of spacecraft including a broadcast capability, and each of the plurality of spacecraft in its own approximately 24-hour orbit. Each of the or...	05/24/2011
7806369	Ultrahigh altitude sun-synchronous orbit satellite system An ultrahigh altitude sun-synchronous orbit satellite system having one or plural satellites orbiting the sun such that the satellites revolve around the earth in a substantially circular or elliptic motion at an altitude of several million kilometers from the earth...	10/05/2010
7744036	Method for designing an orbit of a spacecraft A method is disclosed for designing an orbit of a spacecraft which allows the spacecraft to take a small-radius halo orbit near a Lagrange point while avoiding the prohibited zone where the spacecraft may be shadowed or might be prevented from making communication. ...	06/29/2010
7669803	Optimized land mobile satellite system for north american coverage A constellation, including a plurality of spacecraft, including a first, second and third spacecraft, each of the plurality of spacecraft including a broadcast capability, and each of the plurality of spacecraft in its own approximately 24-hour orbit. Each of the or...	03/02/2010
7370566	Complimentary retrograde/prograde satellite constellation A method for sensing and monitoring ICBM threats using a constellation of earth orbiting satellites. The method includes arranging a first and a second plurality of threat sensing satellites in earth orbit. The first plurality is selected to have a first prograde or...	05/13/2008
7313362	High altitude airborne craft used as radio relay and method for placing said airborne craft on station The present invention relates to an aircraft and to a method of getting the aircraft onto station. According to the invention, said aircraft (1) includes propulsion means (2) capable only of enabling said aircraft (1) to move and to orient itsel...	12/25/2007
7302317	System and method to enhance attitude estimation for transfer orbit maneuver A system and method to enhance attitude estimation for transfer orbit maneuvers of a spinning satellite includes a transfer orbit earth sensor that can receive and convert an infrared radiance to an analog signal. The analog signal is provided to a hardware chord pr...	11/27/2007
7270299	Space based change detection using common ground track constellations A new approach for designing satellite constellations whereby each satellite follows a common ground track is being proposed for performing high-precision change detection imagery for long periods of time. By precisely prescribing the orbital parameters, i.e., the r...	09/18/2007
7258305	Space based change detection using common ground track constellations capable of being configured for multi-manifest launches A new approach for designing satellite constellations whereby the satellites are distributed into contiguous groups forming longitudinal lengths at least equal to 360 degrees. Gaps between the contiguous groups are uniformly distributed along the tracks. These conti...	08/21/2007
7255308	Solar dominated satellite constellations capable of having repeating common ground tracks A new method of constellation design based on combining repeating ground tracks with common ground tracks and/or sun-synchronous orbits is used for performing high-precision change detection imagery for longer periods of time while minimizing battery usage. By preci...	08/14/2007
7228231	Multiple stayout zones for ground-based bright object exclusion A vehicle (12) including a control system (18) is used for controlling vehicle attitude or angular velocity (38). The processor (24) is coupled to a star sensor or tracker (22) and a memory (30) that may include a star catal...	06/05/2007
7219858	Method for deploying multiple spacecraft A method for deploying multiple spacecraft is disclosed. The method can be used in a situation where a first celestial body is being orbited by a second celestial body. The spacecraft are loaded onto a single spaceship that contains the multiple spacecraft and the s...	05/22/2007
7198230	Method and system for maximizing satellite constellation coverage A method and system for maximizing satellite coverage at predetermined local times for a set of predetermined geographic location includes a processor operative to determine a period of rotation for each of the desired satellites in the satellite constellation. The ...	04/03/2007
7137899	Facility management support apparatus, method, and medium for supporting management of visitors in facility area There is provided a facility management support apparatus which manages visitors in a facility area, the apparatus includes: a place information storage unit for storing the degree of crowdedness in each of the places in the facility area; a receiving unit for recei...	11/21/2006
7136640	Method and apparatus for selectively operating satellites in tundra orbits A satellite system provides geosynchronous satellites in tundra orbits in respective elliptical orbital planes separated by 120 degrees. The satellites traverse a common figure-eight ground track comprising northern and southern loops. The satellites are controllabl...	11/14/2006
7107007	Positioning system for a geostationary satellite A positioning system for a geostationary satellite according to the present invention comprises a plurality of outer orbit satellites revolving around the earth in equatorial orbit and polar orbit having higher altitude than that of the geostationary satellite; and ...	09/12/2006
7077361	Micro-optics concentrator for solar power satellites There is an increasingly intense need to harness solar energy due to an ever growing shortage of conventional energy sources, The instant invention is concerned with method and apparatus for solar concentrator micro-mirrors on solar power satellites and the moon to ...	07/18/2006
7051980	Efficient orbit sparing system for space vehicle constellations A sparing system for space vehicle constellations. A plurality of space vehicles arranged in at least one mission orbit plane. The number of space vehicles is at least one greater than a minimum number necessary to provide at least a minimum level of service necessa...	05/30/2006
6695259	Communication system, communication receiving device and communication terminal in the system A communication line not affected by artificial structures and plants is established between mobile objects and stationary stations surrounded with skyscrapers, and economical artificial satellite service capable of efficiently performing satellite broadc...	02/24/2004
6695260	Virtually geostationary satellite array An array of satellites virtual forming a geosynchronous space. Communication with the satellites is only carried out during an active arc near the apogee portion. During other points of the satellites orbit, they are inactive. These inactive portions of t...	02/24/2004
6677884	Satellite configuration for interferometric and/or tomographic remote sensing by means of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) For interferometric and/or tomographic remote sensing by means of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) one to N receiver satellites and/or transmitter satellites and/or transceiver satellites with a horizontal across-track shift the same or differing in amplitu...	01/13/2004
6634600	Satellite constellation for measuring atmospheric wind speeds using doppler lidar A constellation of satellites comprising at least two satellites in the same orbit is used to measure atmospheric wind speeds by means of a spatial wind lidar; each satellite carries a Doppler lidar, with a fixed sight axis. The orbit is a polar or quasi-...	10/21/2003
6241193	Geostationary satellite stabilized along three axes with improved temperature control A geostationary satellite stabilized in its an orbit includes at least one first face, chosen from among an east face, which is transverse to orbit, and an earth face, which is permanently directed toward the Earth and orthogonal to the plane of the equat...	06/05/2001
6241192	Earth observation method, and system and observation satellite, operating ground system and program for the same An earth observation system capable of observing the earth globally and uniformly in a steady observation operation mode while observing a given district on the earth in a high-frequency observation operation mode, as occasion requires, includes a plurali...	06/05/2001
4854527	Tetrahedral multi-satellite continuous-coverage constellation An improved, optimized, four-satellite tetrahedral constellation using common period elliptic orbits is disclosed which provides continuous global coverage (i.e., any point on the earth can always maintain line-of-sight visibilty with at least one of the ...	08/08/1989
4809935	Satellite continuous coverage constellations Satellite hemispheric and global coverage with a minimum number of satellites includes a three-satellite elliptic orbit constellation covering the entire Northern (or Southern) Hemisphere and a four-satellite constellation giving continuous global coverag...	03/07/1989
4691882	Co-operative satellites A satellite orbiting arrangement including an orbiting cluster of co-operative satellites in which inter-satellite communication is to be maintained substantially constantly, the arrangement further including an inter-satellite communication satellite pos...	09/08/1987
4375697	Satellite arrangement providing effective use of the geostationary orbit A satellite squadron or cluster formation is disposed in a predetermined location in the geostationary orbit, including a plurality of controllably maneuverable communication satellites and a centrally located switching and control satellite. The satellit...	03/01/1983
3995801	Method of storing spare satellites in orbit One or more satellites are stored or parked in a quasi-equatorial orbit in an inoperative or nonoperating state for subsequent operation in an equatorial plane at synchronous altitude and maintained in that plane thereafter by north-south station-keeping ...	12/07/1976

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Class 244/158.4 - Spacecraft formation, orbit, or interplanetary path