An electronic pressure regulation system includes an electronic control unit and a fluid assembly, with the fluid assembly including a fluid control branch having a proportional control valve and a heater. The heater may be a strip heater applied to or a coil wrapped around an external surface of the proportional control valve. The system may further include a latching isolation valve. A secondary fluid control branch can be included, and the fluid control branches can be in parallel. The electronic pressure regulation system can be included in an all-electric satellite. Another electronic pressure regulation system includes an electronic control unit and a fluid assembly, with the fluid assembly including a fluid control branch having a proportional control valve, the proportional control valve including two independently-controlled coils for magnetostrictive actuation.

A non-geostationary satellite system and method for weather and climate monitoring, communications applications, scientific research, and similar tasks. The satellite system provides global coverage using a constellation of six satellites in two orthogonal, 24 sidereal hour orbits (geosynchronous) with inclinations of 70 to 90, and eccentricities of 0.275-0.45. By placing three of the satellites in a first orbit with an apogee over the north pole, and three of the satellites in a second, orthogonal orbit with an apogee over the south pole, global coverage may be obtained. As well, the satellites in these orbits avoid most of the Van Allen Belts.

An ejection method (100) for ejecting at least one payload such as a satellite. The ejection method includes a step (108) of ejecting the payload from a spacecraft that is driven by a continuous propulsion force when the satellite is ejected.

The invention relates to a method for transferring a space payload from a first orbit to a second orbit. Said method is characterized in that the space payload, moving about the first orbit, is attached to a removable orbital towing assistance device including at least one fuel pouch. Said method includes the steps of: attaching (E1) an orbital transfer vehicle to the removable orbital towing assistance device; and transferring (E2) the space payload and the removable orbital towing assistance device to the second orbit by means of the orbital transfer vehicle. The invention also relates to a removable orbital towing assistance device intended for a space payload and an orbital transfer vehicle and enabling direct supply of fuel to the vehicle and/or the space payload.

Spacecraft servicing devices or pods and related methods may include a body configured to be deployed from a host spacecraft at a location adjacent a target spacecraft and at least one spacecraft servicing component configured to perform at least one servicing operation on the target spacecraft. The servicing device may include a communication device configured to receive data relating to the target spacecraft from a location remote from the spacecraft servicing device. The servicing device may include a coupling mechanism comprising at least one movable coupling configured to rotate the body relative to the target spacecraft when the spacecraft servicing pod is coupled to the target spacecraft. The at least one spacecraft servicing component may include at least one propulsion device positioned on a boom arm extending away from the body.

The invention relates to a method for the safe release of artificial satellite in Earth orbit comprising providing an orbital transport spacecraft (1) able to move at orbital height and comprising a plurality of PODs (11) for releasing satellites (12) transported by the orbital transport spacecraft (1), housing said orbital transport spacecraft (1) in a space launcher (100) configured to reach an orbital height; generating a release signal and transmitting it to the orbital transport spacecraft (1) to release the orbital transport spacecraft (1) from the space launcher (100), in case of failure to release the orbital transport spacecraft (1) or in case of breakdown of the orbital transport spacecraft (1) after releasing from the space launcher (100), activating a safety subsystem (21) of the orbital transport spacecraft (1) to generate a POD (11) activation sequence to release the satellites (12).

Described herein is a thrust system for a vehicle that includes at least three electrical power controllers, at least four electrical switches each configured to receive electrical power from at least one of the at least three electrical power controllers, and at least three thrusters each configured to receive electrical power from at least one of the at least three electrical switches. The at least four electrical switches are operable to switch a supply of electrical power from any of the at least three electrical power controllers to any one of the at least three thrusters.

1. A satellite constellation forming method comprises a satellite deployment step S2, a spacecraft acceleration step S4, a spacecraft orbiting step S5 and spacecraft deceleration step, and the aforementioned steps are repeated in order. In the satellite deployment step S2, deploying one of the satellites into the circular orbit 2 from the spacecraft 10 on the circular orbit 2. In the spacecraft acceleration step S4, accelerating the spacecraft 10 and switching the orbit from the circular orbit 2 to a spacecraft transfer orbit 3 in the same orbit plane. In the spacecraft orbiting step S5, making the spacecraft 10 orbit along the spacecraft transfer orbit 3 a plurality of times. In the spacecraft deceleration step, decelerating the spacecraft 10 and switching the orbit from the spacecraft transfer orbit 3 to the circular orbit 2 in the same orbit plane.

Methods and apparatus to methods and apparatus for performing propulsion operations using electric propulsion system are disclosed. An example launch vehicle includes a first space vehicle including a first core structure and a first electric propulsion system, and a second space vehicle including a second core structure and a second electric propulsion system, the second core structure releasably attached to the first space vehicle in a stacked configuration.

A satellite system may have a constellation of communications satellites in orbits such as highly inclined eccentric geosynchronous orbits and low earth orbits. To place satellites in inclined eccentric geosynchronous orbits, a series of launch vehicles may be launched. Each launch vehicle may be used to place a set of satellites, such as a set of three satellites, into a common orbital plane with distinct longitude of ascending node values. To place satellites in low earth orbits, a series of launch vehicles may be launched, each of which releases satellites in sequence from a stack of satellites into a common orbital plane. After desired separations have been produced between the released satellites, circularization procedures may be performed using the propulsion systems of the satellites to place the satellites into final orbit.