Methods and apparatus for Real-time Satellite Imaging System (10) are disclosed. More particularly, one embodiment of the present invention an imaging sensor (14) on a geostationary satellite having one or more co-collimated telescopes (18). The telescopes (18) illuminate local planes (22) which are sparsely populated with focal plane arrays (24). The focal plane arrays (24) record the entire observable Earth hemisphere at one time, at least once every ten seconds.

A system for controlling an aerospace vehicle by exploiting the dihedral effect to control bank angle of the vehicle by modulating sideslip. The control system includes a closed feedback loop comprising an outer loop for producing a sideslip angle command to induce a roll moment through the dihedral effect to satisfy a bank angle command, and an inner loop for taking the sideslip angle command, and possibly an angle of attack command to produce control input for flightpath hardware controls. Flightpath control hardware include pairs of flaps arranged longitudinally along the leading and trailing edges of an aeroshell of an aerospace entry vehicle to control pitch for changing the angle of attack, and another pair of flaps arranged laterally to control yaw for changing the bank angle via the sideslip angle, and also moving mass along ribs to control pitch and yaw. Thrusters can be fired to induce roll.

The present disclosure provides a satellite control method and apparatus, comprising: receiving a to-be-photographed target site input by a user; calculating first moment information corresponding to each satellite entering the target site, according to location information of the target site and operation orbit information of the each satellite in a plurality of satellites; and determining, from the plurality of satellites, at least one to-execute satellite to photograph the target site according to the first moment information corresponding to the each satellite entering the target site.

Systems and methods for describing, simulating and/or optimizing spaceborne systems and missions. Configurations for spaceborne systems are generated and validated based on simulation output.

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 spacecraft capable of re-entry into atmosphere includes an airframe, including a body and one or more wings, and one or more propulsion devices, for example, rocket engines, reaction control thrusters, and jet engines. One or more louver systems are incorporated into the airframe to assist in controlling the aerodynamic profile of the spacecraft. The louver system includes a number of fins rotatable about and axis. An actuator system may rotate the fins in unison or independently of the other fins. A controller may receive information from sensors incorporated into the airframe and send instructions to the actuator system to rotate the fins in response to the sensor information in order to achieve a calculated aerodynamic profile. The spacecraft may also include retractable landing legs. One or more of the wings may be actuated wings.

A transportation network for providing propellant in space can include optical mining vehicles that concentrate solar energy to spall captured asteroids, capture released volatiles, and store them in reservoirs as propellants. The network can also have orbital transfer vehicles that use solar thermal rocket modules that focus solar energy on heat exchangers to force propellant through nozzles, as well as separable aeromaneuvering tanker modules with reusable heatshields and storage tanks. The network can have propellant depots positioned between Earth and a transport destination. The depots can mechanically couple to accept propellant delivery and to supply it to visiting space vehicles.

A satellite constellation (200) comprises three artificial satellites (210A to 210C) that monitor a target area of the Earth (101). Each artificial satellite circulates on elliptical orbits having sun-synchronization and an orbit inclination angle. A long axis of each elliptical orbit forms an equal angle with each long axis of two adjacent elliptical orbits in a latitude direction.

A formation flight control device for generating and outputting orbit control information for controlling observation satellites in an observation satellite group orbiting a celestial body and sequentially observing a ground surface of the celestial body with an observation interval includes an orbit information acquirer, an orbit control information generator, and an orbit control information outputter. The orbit information acquirer acquires orbit information indicating an observation time of a preceding observation satellite of which an observation order precedes by one, and an orbit of the preceding observation satellite at the observation time. The orbit control information generator generates, based on the orbit information, the orbit control information indicating an orbit and a phase allowing flying, after the observation interval, vertically above an intersection point between the ground surface and a straight line connecting a center of the celestial body and the preceding observation satellite at the observation time.

A method and apparatus uses a VLF transmitter, a VLF receiver, and/or a low earth orbit satellite including a rocket engine. A VLF wave transmitted into space is converted to an ambient wave. The ambient wave acts as a signal wave for a whistler traveling wave parametric amplifier. Rocket exhaust is generated in atmospheric plasma. The rocket exhaust includes kinetic energy acting as a Lower Hybrid wave source. The Lower Hybrid wave source produces a Lower Hybrid wave, which acts as a pump wave for the parametric amplifier. Nonlinear mixing of the signal wave and the pump wave in the atmospheric plasma simultaneously parametrically amplifies the ambient wave and generates an idler wave and a parametrically amplified wave. The parametrically amplified wave (1) reduces the density of energetic protons or killer electrons in the Van Allen radiation belt, and (2) improves communications between the VLF transmitter and VLF receiver.