The invention concerns a method for reducing the costs of a satellite remote sensing service. The method comprises providing a satellite remote sensing system that includes only one satellite equipped with a sensor configured to acquire images of areas of the earth's surface, the satellite remote sensing system being designed to provide a satellite remote sensing service based on the images acquired by the sensor on board the satellite. In particular, the satellite follows a predefined orbit around the earth with an orbit repeat cycle shorter than three days, whereby a satellite remote sensing service with very good time performance, excellent interferometric capabilities and with drastically reduced costs is obtained.

Embodiments relate to a hallow cathode with integral layers of radiation shielding. The hollow cathode includes an inner cathode tube that forms a gas feed to direct gas toward a downstream end, where the directed gas forms plasma. A heater element is positioned at the downstream end of the inner cathode tube, the heater element to heat the plasma. The hollow cathode further includes an outer cathode tube with a keeper electrode to sustain a bias voltage across a gap at a downstream end of the outer cathode tube for igniting the plasma. The integral layers of radiation shielding are connected by offset radial supports and are incorporated as a single element with either the inner or outer cathode tube, where the integral layers are nested with torturous conductive paths to reduce radiation and conduction losses from the downstream end of the inner cathode tube.

A propulsion system for the orbit control of a satellite in Earth orbit driven at a rate of displacement along an axis V tangential to the orbit comprises two propulsion modules, fixed to the satellite, and facing one another relative to the plane of the orbit, each of the propulsion modules comprising, in succession: a motorized rotation link about an axis parallel to the axis V; an offset arm; and a plate supporting two thrusters, suitable for delivering a thrust on an axis, arranged on the plate on either side of a plane P at right angles to the axis V passing through a center of mass of the satellite; each of the two thrusters being oriented in such a way that the thrust axes of the two thrusters are parallel to one another and at right angles to the axis V.

A space vehicle system, a method of manufacturing the space vehicle system, and a method of launching the space vehicle system are disclosed. The method of manufacturing the space vehicle system may include disposing a first space vehicle with an upper core structure upon a second space vehicle with a lower core structure such that loads of the first space vehicle are transmitted to the lower core structure of the second space vehicle.

A spacecraft system and method includes a platform with a dock and an umbilical payout device. A robot is connected to an umbilical paid out by the umbilical payout device and is repeatedly deployable from the dock. The robot includes one or more imagers, an inertial measurement unit, and a plurality of thrusters. A command module receives image data from the one or more robot imagers and orientation data from the inertial measurement unit. An object recognition module is configured to recognize one or more objects from the received image data. The command module determines the robot's orientation with respect to an object and issues thruster control commands to control movement of the robot based on the robot's orientation. The combination of the space platform and robot on umbilical line can be used for towing another object to different orbital location, inspection including self-inspection of the robot carrying platform and for robotic servicing.

Disclosed herein are method and system for moving vehicles, the system comprising: at least one power distribution station (PDS), each power distribution station comprising: a power source; and at least one transmitter array comprising a plurality of transmitter, each transmitter array configured to wirelessly transmit power to a receiver; and at least one flight-capable vehicle, each vehicle comprising: a craft configured to carry a payload; at least one receiver configured to receive and utilize the power transmitted from the transmitter array to power the vehicle; and a lifting array comprising a plurality of ion-producing propulsion means, the lifting array coupled to the vehicle and configured to lift the vehicle a predetermined altitude and distance using power from the receiver. Also disclosed herein are aerial rapid transit system for moving vehicles.

Exemplary air breathing plasma jet engine and method of operation that can be used in electrically powered aircraft and spacecraft as a hybrid between a turbo jet engine and a ramjet or supersonic sonic ramjet (SCRAMJET) engine. The air breathing plasma jet engine includes a compression stage that is configured to compress and slow down incoming air. The compressor can be driven by a high RPM electric motor. The compression stage generates compressed and heated air flow that is passed to a plasma chamber that is configured to add heat to the compressed and heated air flow. The heat are converted to an impulse, e.g., using a converging-diverging (De Laval) nozzle. The system is beneficially configured to reuse the heat byproduct generated in the compression stage.

A high-temperature superconducting plasma thruster system, having variable temperature ranges and being applied in space, is provided. The high-temperature superconducting plasma thruster system includes: a cathode-anode assembly, a high-temperature superconducting magnet system, a supporting and adjusting platform, a power-and-gas supply and cooling system, and an obtaining control system. The cathode-anode assembly is disposed at a center of a ring of the high-temperature superconducting magnet system; the cathode-anode assembly and the high-temperature superconducting magnet system are spatially engaged with each other by the supporting and adjusting platform to form a main body of the thruster system; the power-and-gas supply and cooling system and the obtaining control system are located outside of the main body of the thruster system and are connected to the cathode-anode assembly and the high-temperature superconducting magnet system.

An isotope power source configured to act as a vehicle includes a plurality of radioisotope power sources encased around one or more elements therein to form a tile-shaped spacecraft

A plasma thruster comprises a cylindrical discharge channel (1), an injector (4), a RF antenna surrounding the discharge channel (1) and a device (3) for generating an axial static magnetic field in the discharge channel (1). The RF antenna is a cylindrical birdcage antenna (2) formed of several electrically conductive parallel legs (10) connected by two end rings (11) including capacitors (12) between adjacent legs (10) in each case. The two end rings (11) with the capacitors (12) are formed on two printed circuit boards (14) to which the legs (10) are attached, said printed circuit boards (14) having a through opening for the discharge channel (1). The antenna maximizes electrical coupling efficiency and provides resulting electromagnetic fields for quasi-neutral plasma acceleration along with the magnetic field effect provided by the externally applied magnetic field. This plasma thruster allows an easy upscaling or downscaling due to the printed circuit boards and is particularly suitable for low power applications like propulsion for smaller spacecrafts or satellites.