公开(公告)号：US20230365277A1

公开(公告)日：2023-11-16

申请号：US17742840

申请日：2022-05-12

申请人： Maxar Space LLC

发明人： Theodore Marcopulos

IPC分类号： B64G1/40 ,  B64G1/42

CPC分类号： B64G1/405 ,  B64G1/428

摘要： A voltage measurement apparatus for a spacecraft thruster includes a thruster interface having a platform and at least one spacer element configured to attach the platform to the thruster. At least one probe is mounted to the thruster interface with the probe configured to engage an anode assembly of the thruster when the thruster interface is attached to the thruster. The apparatus also includes voltage metering circuitry coupled to the at least one probe, the voltage metering circuitry configured to be powered by the spacecraft thruster when the spacecraft thruster is powered on.

公开(公告)号：US11799420B1

公开(公告)日：2023-10-24

申请号：US17748970

申请日：2022-05-19

申请人： Maxar Space LLC

发明人： Jason Esquivias ,  Jeffrey David McCallum

IPC分类号： H02S50/00 ,  H02J3/38 ,  B64G1/44 ,  H02S10/40

CPC分类号： H02S50/00 ,  B64G1/443 ,  H02J3/381 ,  H02S10/40 ,  H02J2300/24

摘要： Technology is disclosed herein for reverse current protection for a photovoltaic module string. An apparatus has a switch connected between each respective PV module string and a power bus. A control circuit closes a set of the switches to connect a set of the PV module strings to the power bus to transfer power from the set of the photovoltaic PV module strings to the power bus. The control circuit determines whether a reverse current flows in the direction from the power bus to any of the PV module strings. The control circuit maintains the switch associated with a particular PV module string in an open state to prevent reverse current from flowing in the particular PV module string responsive to a determination that a reverse current flows in the particular PV module string when the particular PV module string is connected to the power bus.

公开(公告)号：US20230298341A1

公开(公告)日：2023-09-21

申请号：US17696709

申请日：2022-03-16

申请人： Maxar Space LLC

发明人： Manuel Gonzalez-Rivero ,  David R. Herdzik ,  Jonathan C. Harris

IPC分类号： G06V20/13 ,  G06N3/04 ,  G06T1/60

CPC分类号： G06V20/13 ,  G06N3/0481 ,  G06T1/60

摘要： Methods and structures are presented for implementing an automatic target recognition system as a convolutional neural network (CNN) in a satellite or other environment with constrained resources, such as limited memory capacity and limited processing capability. For example, this allows for the automatic target recognition to be implemented on a field programmable gate array (FPGA). Image data is split into subsets of contiguous pixels, with the subsets processed in parallel in a CNN of a corresponding processing node using quantized weight values that are determined in a training process that accounts for the constraints of the automatic target recognition system. The results of the automatic target recognition process is based on the combined output of the processing nodes.

公开(公告)号：US20230064039A1

公开(公告)日：2023-03-02

申请号：US17463670

申请日：2021-09-01

申请人： Maxar Space LLC

发明人： Varouj Baghdasarian

IPC分类号： B64G1/44 ,  H02S30/20 ,  H01L31/041

摘要： A solar array structure, such as for a spacecraft, uses thin solar array panels that, when in a stowed configuration, are stiffened by being bent or curved in one direction to be shaped like a section of a cylinder and placed within a rigid structural frame. As a curved solar panel is not as efficient as a flat panel directly facing the sun, the solar array panels are curved in their stowed configuration for launch only, but flatten after deployment by use of a partially flexible structural frame, where a rectangular frame is made of two opposing rigid sides and two opposing flexible sides, with a thin flexible solar panel attached to rigid sides only. The rigid sides are compressed during stowage to curve the panel before hold-down tensioning. The structure and panels return to their flat free state configuration after release.

公开(公告)号：US11577861B1

公开(公告)日：2023-02-14

申请号：US17410433

申请日：2021-08-24

申请人： Maxar Space LLC

发明人： Varouj Baghdasarian

IPC分类号： B64G1/64 ,  B64G1/10

摘要： Technology is disclosed for a spacecraft launch restraint and dispensing structure. Stacks of spacecrafts may be arranged around a central post. The dispensing structure has primary tie-down mechanisms that axially clamp the stacks of spacecrafts when in a stowed position. Each primary tie-down mechanism may have a rod located between two adjacent stacks, such that the rod tensions two stacks. In a deployment position, the primary tie-down rods extend away from the stack such that an ejection path is cleared. The dispensing structure also includes secondary tie-down mechanisms that radially connect the spacecrafts to the central post. After the primary tie-down rods are moved to the deployment position, the secondary tie-down mechanisms still hold the spacecrafts. The spacecrafts may be deployed by issuing control signals to the secondary tie-down mechanisms when the primary tie-down rods are in the deployment position.

公开(公告)号：US11483061B2

公开(公告)日：2022-10-25

申请号：US17110127

申请日：2020-12-02

申请人： MAXAR SPACE LLC

发明人： James Pham ,  Sherrie Schmit ,  William Gray ,  William Hreha

IPC分类号： H04B7/185

摘要： A system for aggregating spaced related systems includes accessing service provider information for multiple service providers to determine relevant services/systems available, automatically determining that no single service provider provides services sufficient to perform a particular space activity, automatically identifying multiple services from different service providers that in aggregate include performing the space activity, and automatically determining a parameter to configure space equipment to perform each of the multiple services from the different service providers in order to perform the space activity. In some embodiments, this system can be scaled across multiple regions (e.g., multiple planetary regions). For example, each region can have its own set of servers and ledgers that provide real-time services within the region and opportunistically synchronize between regions (e.g., when communication is available).

公开(公告)号：US11385887B2

公开(公告)日：2022-07-12

申请号：US17110115

申请日：2020-12-02

申请人： MAXAR SPACE LLC

发明人： Sherrie Schmit ,  James Pham ,  William Gray ,  William Hreha

IPC分类号： G06F8/65 ,  G06F9/455 ,  B64G1/66

摘要： A scalable, extensible, multi-tenancy multi-mission configurable spacecraft system is provided that allows applications to be deployed and managed across many spacecraft. One embodiment includes a plurality of satellites in orbit, where each satellite includes an antenna, a memory configured to store a non-virtualized operating system and one or more software applications, and a processor connected to the antenna and the memory. The processor is configured to run the non-virtualized operating system and to run the one or more software applications. The processors and the applications can be managed by ground terminals or other satellites.

公开(公告)号：US20220081131A1

公开(公告)日：2022-03-17

申请号：US17022550

申请日：2020-09-16

申请人： MAXAR SPACE LLC

发明人： Robert Erik Schwarz

IPC分类号： B64G1/10 ,  H04W4/50 ,  H04L12/40 ,  G06F8/65 ,  B64G1/42 ,  B64G1/40 ,  G05D1/10

摘要： A universal external port is proposed to add new functionality to or replace existing functionality of an already deployed spacecraft (e.g., a satellite in orbit). The universal external port is mounted on an external surface of the spacecraft and configured to connect to different types of external modules that have different functions, without removing components from the spacecraft other than one or more components of the universal external port. A communication interface onboard the spacecraft is configured to wirelessly receive a software patch from an entity remote from the spacecraft (e.g., from a ground terminal or other spacecraft) to program the spacecraft to change operation of the spacecraft to utilize the external module when the external module is connected to the universal external port.

公开(公告)号：US20210354857A1

公开(公告)日：2021-11-18

申请号：US17076444

申请日：2020-10-21

申请人： MAXAR SPACE LLC

发明人： Andrew E. Turner

IPC分类号： B64G1/24 ,  B64G1/28 ,  B64G1/40 ,  B64G1/44

摘要： A method of roll steering of a spacecraft to align an aspect of the spacecraft, such as the surface of solar arrays carried by the spacecraft, to the sun, is described. The roll steering occurs only when the sun is at an angle (β) relative to the orbital plane of the spacecraft and when the spacecraft is not eclipsed by a body it is orbiting. This dayside-only roll steering of the spacecraft increases the power efficiency of the spacecraft. A spacecraft may include a controller which causes an attitude control subsystem to steer the spacecraft about a roll axis to position the surface of the solar array such that an axis normal to the surface of the solar array is aligned with the direction to a sun when the sun is visible to the spacecraft, and maintain a fixed orientation of the spacecraft about the roll axis when the sun is not visible to the spacecraft.