The disclosure relates to a method and apparatus of rotating mass attitude control. The method and apparatus entails rotating a mass to generate thrust. Varying the speed and direction of rotation provides some control of the magnitude and direction of the thrust generated. The method and apparatus of the invention pertinent to an attitude control system for spacecrafts or astromotive vehicles under conditions of zero to low gravity and atmosphere.

A battery arrangement for structurally integrating batteries in a vehicle, in particular an aircraft or spacecraft, includes at least one battery, two supporting cooling plates between which the at least one battery is held on both sides via battery holders, and connecting rods which connect the two cooling plates to one another.

A free-floating spherical gimbal (“gimbal”) that includes a moving portion substantially spherical in shape and partially enclosed within a larger spherical and stationary cavity. The moving portion of the spherical gimbal is maintained in a location without direct mechanical contact with the stationary cavity.

An electrical power system has a dual battery configuration that enables sufficient power supply for a spacecraft bus and a payload module being carried by the spacecraft. During a sunlight power mode, power is drawn from a solar array of the bus to power a low-discharge payload of the spacecraft and a high-discharge payload of a payload module. During the sunlight power mode, a low rate discharge battery and a high rate discharge battery are charged by a battery charge management unit of the spacecraft bus. During an eclipse power mode, the low rate discharge battery powers the low-discharge payload of the spacecraft and the high rate discharge battery powers the high-discharge payload of the payload module. The high-rate discharge battery may also be used to power the high-rate discharge payload in the sunlight power mode to meet its high current demands to meet a flexible mission operations.

Technology is disclosed herein for a power control and distribution unit (PCDU) of a spacecraft that has a microcontroller to control battery charging from solar arrays. Using a microcontroller within the PCDU reduces the complexity of the PCDU. The microcontroller may be programmable and reprogrammable, which allows the charging of the battery to be adapted to various conditions. For example, the microcontroller can be programmed in accordance with the mission to optimize battery charging for that mission.

The present invention relates to an innovative thermal design concept of tailoring the absorptance and emittance of a coating—namely silicon oxide (SiOx) coated aluminized Kapton—as a radiator coating for small, nano-satellite (i.e., CubeSat) thermal management. The present invention improves on the thermal design of existing satellites, by: a) thermally coupling all components to the baseplate to eliminate the need for heater power for the battery; b) using all six sides of the CubeSat as radiators by changing the wall material from fiberglass to aluminum; c) using a different ratio of absorptance to emittance for each side by tailoring the SiO.sub.x thickness; d) having a high emittance for the wall interior and components; and e) eliminating the need for MLIs. The elimination of the MLIs reduces the volume and increases the clearance to minimize the risk for solar array deployment and cost of the thermal control subsystem.

Ruggedized avionics assemblies for use on kinetically launched space vehicles are disclosed. The avionic assemblies are able to maintain structural integrity and functionality under high acceleration forces generated during kinetic launch, including acceleration forces of >5,000 times Earth's gravity in a single direction of loading. The avionics assembly is ruggedized to withstand this level of acceleration force during launch via a plurality of constraining elements to constrain a plurality of printed circuit boards aligned in parallel to an acceleration vector. Further, a high specific strength and stiffness composition of the plurality of constraining elements aids in supporting the printed circuit boards and preventing them from bending and dislodging electronic components mounted to the printed circuit boards.

A de-orbiting system for a space vehicle may include one or more lithium ion (Li-ion) batteries configured to release hot gases to be used for thrusting during de-orbiting of the apparatus. The system may also include one or more heaters surrounding each of the one or more Li-ion batteries, which are configured to send each of the one or more Li-ion batteries into a thermal runaway. The thermal runaway causes the one or more Li-ion batteries to release stored electrochemical energy within each of the one or more Li-ion batteries.

A real-time scheduling apparatus and method for suppressing battery aging of a satellite system are disclosed. A real-time scheduling method for suppressing battery aging of a satellite system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include acquiring task information including a request period and an execution time of each of a plurality of tasks which is performed in the satellite system; determining an execution limit range and an execution order for each of the plurality of tasks which satisfies a predetermined real-time constraint based on the task information; and determining an optimal execution timing within the execution limit range of each of the plurality of tasks, based on the execution order and consumed current information of each of the plurality of tasks.

A reconnaissance rover configured for multiple agile and autonomous landings over a small body or moon. The reconnaissance rover comprises a detection unit, a processing unit, a control unit and a drive unit. The detection unit is configured to detect at least an environment in front of the reconnaissance rover, in the direction of a trajectory of the reconnaissance rover over a surface of the small body or moon. The detection unit is further configured to provide environmental data based on the detected environment. The processing unit is configured to update the trajectory based upon the provided environmental data. The control unit interacts with the drive unit to move the reconnaissance rover according to the updated trajectory.