Method and apparatus for a satellite station keeping

Details Method and apparatus for a satellite station keeping Method and apparatus for a satellite station keeping

1993-11-17

1995-08-22

Barefoot, Galen L.

Aeronautics and astronautics

Spacecraft

Attitude control

244169, B64G 126

Patent

active

054432316

ABSTRACT:
A method and apparatus for satellite station keeping is disclosed in which four thrusters are mounted on the anti-nadir face of the satellite with their direction of thrust passing through the center of mass of the satellite. The thrust lines of the north pair (20, 22) of thrusters and the south (24, 26) pair of thrusters make an angle .theta. with the satellite north-south axis in a northern and southern direction respectively. The thrusters are laterally separated and slewed by an angle .alpha. about the north-south axis. Each thruster produces three components of .DELTA.V, i.e. normal, tangential and radial (toward the Earth), thereby providing complete control of the three orbit vectors, inclination, eccentricity and mean motion. In the event of failure of a thruster, the thruster diagonally opposite the failed thruster is shutdown and the remaining diagonal pair of thrusters is used to maintain station keeping.

REFERENCES:
patent: 3907226 (1975-09-01), Neufeld et al.
patent: 4630790 (1986-12-01), Williams, Jr.
patent: 5020746 (1991-06-01), Anzel
patent: 5318256 (1994-06-01), Appleberry

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