An information processing device calculates a communication available period for communication between a satellite station and an earth station on the basis of orbit information regarding the satellite station and location information regarding the earth station, and section that performs reservation processing for reserving a communication reservation period for the communication between the satellite station and the earth station, among reservation target periods selected from the communication available period.

A constellation of Earth-orbiting spacecraft includes a first spacecraft disposed in a first orbit, a second spacecraft disposed in a second orbit, and a third spacecraft disposed in a third orbit. Each of the first orbit, the second orbit and the third orbit is substantially circular with a radius of approximately 42,164 km, and has a specified inclination with respect to the equator within a range of 5° to 20°. The first orbit has a first right ascension of ascending node RAAN1, the second orbit has a second RAAN (RAAN2) approximately equal to RAAN1+120°, and the third orbit has a third RAAN (RAAN3) approximately equal to RAAN1+240°. A fourth spacecraft is disposed in a fourth orbit that has a period of approximately one sidereal day, an inclination of less than 2°, a perigee altitude of at least 8000 km, and an eccentricity between approximately 0.4 and 0.66.

A method for thermally stabilizing a communication satellite in orbit around the Earth relies on the discrete rotational symmetry of the pattern of antenna beams of the satellite. Exploiting the symmetry, the orientation of the satellite is changed from time to time by rotating the satellite through a symmetry angle of the rotational symmetry. Because of the symmetry, the beam pattern is unchanged after the rotation; but, because the rotation angle is less than 360°, a different side of the satellite is exposed to sunlight. The use of different thermal radiators and thermal shields on different sides of the satellite means that the thermal budget of the satellite is different after the rotation. By judiciously applying rotations as needed, as the orbit's orientation relative to the Sun evolves in time, it is possible to achieve effective control on the thermal budget of the satellite.

A method of dynamic resource allocation for at least one satellite access network associated with at least one telecommunications satellite comprises a frequency-flexible payload, the at least one satellite access network comprises a plurality of resource allocation controllers. The method comprises the acquisition of the bandwidth desired by each resource allocation controller, reconfiguration of the payload of the at least one satellite considering the bandwidth desired by each resource allocation controller and the frequency resources available on board each satellite, and a step of frequency allocation to the various resource allocation controllers, considering the bandwidth desired by each resource allocation controller and the frequency resources available on board each satellite.

A composite structure comprising an organic resin and carbon fibers comprises planar structure graphene nanosheets embedded in the resin. This structure combining good properties in terms of mechanical resilience, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity can advantageously be used for thermal dissipation devices, as solar generator substrate or else as housing of electronic components, carried on board satellites.

A method and apparatus for the control of the attitude of earth orbiting satellites and the orbit and attitude control of a novel gravitational wave detection satellite configuration located near the sun-earth Lagrangian points L3, L4 and L5, utilizing the control of solar radiation pressure by the use of electrically controllable variable reflection glass panels to provide the torques and forces needed.

Small, low-cost satellite systems, like CubeSats or other microsatellites, can exhibit reduced reliability relative to higher-cost satellite systems. This can result in difficulty identifying, communicating with, and tracking such satellite systems when they fail. Provided herein are reliable, low-cost, low-energy, turn-key systems for identification and tracking of small satellites that can be readily added to a microsatellite with minimal integration costs and while occupying a minimal amount of volume, mass, and external area of the host satellite. These systems are electrically isolated from the satellite bus, being powered by internal batteries or other separate energy sources and providing reliable identification and tracking even when the other systems of the satellite have failed. These improved identification and tracking systems include space environment sensors to maintain the system in a very-low-power state while the system is in vehicle processing and transit on Earth, extending device lifetime and reducing cost and weight.

An electromagnetic pulse (EMP) resistant telecommunications system includes core components mounted within and shielded by a Faraday cage. The components include a data source or storage device. An ethernet switch selectively connects the data source or storage device to a primary satellite router and a post-EMP satellite router. Telecommunications signals are output from and input to the core components via low noise blocks (LNBs) and block upconverters (BUCs). A method of resisting EMP interference for a telecommunications system includes the steps of enclosing and shielding core components in a Faraday cage and providing output via LNBs and BUCs to an antenna subsystem.

A satellite constellation forming system forms a satellite constellation (20) having a plurality of orbital planes (21) in each of which a plurality of satellites fly at the same orbital altitude. A satellite constellation forming unit forms the satellite constellation (20) in which orbital altitudes of the orbital planes (21) are mutually different. Furthermore, in the satellite constellation (20), relative altitude differences between adjacent orbital planes in the plurality of orbital planes are sequentially arranged to be sinusoidal. The satellite constellation forming unit sequentially changes an orbital altitude (23) of each orbital plane of the plurality of orbital planes while maintaining a sinusoidal arrangement of the relative altitude differences between adjacent orbital planes in the plurality of orbital planes.

A satellite includes a housing, a circuit board containing circuitry, a battery electrically connected to the circuit board, a tank, an expandable balloon disposed in the tank, a heater, a valve providing liquid communication between the tank and the heater when in an open position and providing no liquid communication between the tank and the heater when in a closed position, and a nozzle having an orifice in liquid communication with the heater. Operating the satellite includes partially filling the expandable balloon with a gas, loading liquid fuel into the tank, launching the satellite into space, opening the valve to cause the liquid fuel from the tank to pass into the heater under pressure provided by the gas in the expandable balloon, activating the heater to heat and vaporize the liquid fuel into a fuel vapor, and expelling the fuel vaper out of the nozzle.