Orbital deployment module with a three-point space propulsion system

Abstract

A three-point propulsion system of an orbital deployment space module for at least one satellite including: chassis including exactly three first housings shaped to each receive a propulsion unit and at least one second housing shaped to receive a tank, at least one liquid fuel tank disposed in a second housing, and exactly three propulsion units, each propulsion unit being disposed in one of the first housings, and each propulsion unit including at least one thruster.

Claims

1. A propulsion system with three propulsion points of an orbital deployment space module for at least one satellite comprising: a chassis including exactly three first housings shaped to each receive a propulsion unit and at least a second housing shaped to receive a tank, at least one liquid fuel tank disposed in a second housing, exactly three propulsion units, each propulsion unit being disposed in one of the first housings, and each propulsion unit including at least one thruster, a central housing shaped to receive a satellite intended to be put into orbit, and a control unit configured to control the supply and the power developed by each of the propulsion units and with a control logic coupling a pitch drive function and a yaw drive function.

2. The propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the three first housings are each disposed at a vertex of the same triangle whose center of gravity corresponds to the center of gravity of the propulsion system.

3. The propulsion system according to claim 2, wherein the three first housings are each disposed at a vertex of the same equilateral triangle.

4. The propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the propulsion units include the same number of thrusters.

5. The propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the chassis has a shape, in a cutting plane comprising the three propulsion units, with a number of sides equal to a multiple of the number 3.

6. The propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the chassis has a hexagonal shape in a cutting plane comprising the three propulsion units.

7. The propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the chassis further comprises a removable connection interface to receive a satellite intended to be put into orbit.

8. The propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein each thruster is oriented parallel to a main propulsion direction which is perpendicular to a plane comprising the three propulsion units, and the propulsion system further comprises an auxiliary propulsion system including auxiliary thrusters oriented in a direction perpendicular to the main propulsion direction.

9. The propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit is configured to determine, at each movement of the propulsion system, the thrust that each of said three propulsion units must develop for the desired movement.

10. The propulsion system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit comprises a chopping unit configured to control the propulsion torque by chopping the supply to the propulsion units with a chopping duration calculated for each of the propulsion units.

11. An orbital deployment space module for at least one satellite comprising an enclosure configured to transport at least one satellite to be put in space orbit, and a three-point propulsion system according to claim 1.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

(1) Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will emerge from the description given below, with reference to the appended drawings which illustrate one exemplary embodiment without any limitation.

(2) FIG. 1 schematically represents a sectional view of a propulsion system of an orbital deployment space module according to a first embodiment of the invention.

(3) FIG. 2 schematically represents a perspective view of an orbital deployment space module according to one embodiment of the invention.

(4) FIG. 3 schematically represents a sectional view of a propulsion system of an orbital deployment space module according to a second embodiment of the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

(5) FIG. 1 schematically represents a sectional view of a propulsion system of an orbital deployment space module according to one embodiment of the invention.

(6) The propulsion system 1 comprises a chassis 2, three main propulsion units 3, and three fuel tanks 4. The cutting plane of FIG. 1 cuts the three propulsion units 3, and comprises a first direction x and a second direction y orthogonal to the first direction x. The cutting plane xy is orthogonal to a third direction z parallel to the main propulsion direction of the propulsion system 1.

(7) The chassis 2 includes a central housing 5 intended to receive one or several satellites (not represented in FIG. 1) intended to be put in orbit by an orbital deployment space module equipped with said propulsion system 1. The chassis 2 further includes three first housings 6 shaped to each receive a main propulsion unit 3, and three second housings 7 shaped to each receive a fuel tank 4.

(8) Each main propulsion unit 3 is disposed at the vertex of an equilateral triangle 8 represented in phantom lines. The propulsion system thus forms a three-point propulsion system.

(9) Furthermore, in the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, each main propulsion unit 3 comprises two thrusters 30. In one variant, each main propulsion unit 3 can comprise a single thruster 30 or at least three thrusters 30. In another variant, the propulsion units 3 can comprise a different number of thrusters.

(10) The thrusters 30 of a propulsion unit can be of the same type or of different types. The thrusters 30 can be for example gas ejection nozzles, or electric or ion thrusters.

(11) In the embodiment illustrated in FIG. 1, the chassis 2 comprises a hexagonal shape with three first sides 22 and three second sides 24, the length of a second side 24 being greater than the length of a first side 22, and each first side 22 being adjacent to two distinct second sides 24. In other words, each first side 22 is separated from the two other first sides 22 by two second sides 24.

(12) Each main propulsion unit 3 is mounted on a first side 22, while each tank 4 extends along a second side 24 between two main propulsion units 3, on the one hand, and between a second side 24 and the central housing 5, on the other hand.

(13) The tanks 4 can have any possible shape.

(14) In one variant illustrated in FIG. 3, each main propulsion unit 3 can be mounted on a second side 24, the three main propulsion units 3 being disposed at the vertex of a triangle whose geometric center of gravity corresponds to the center of gravity of the propulsion system 1.

(15) FIG. 2 schematically represents a perspective view of an orbital deployment space module 10 equipped with the propulsion system 1 of FIG. 1.

(16) The module 10 comprises an enclosure 11 having a hexagonal shape in the plane xy corresponding to the hexagonal shape of the chassis 2 of the propulsion system 1 of FIG. 1. The enclosure 11 comprises an upper face 110, a lower face 112, three first side faces 114 and three second side faces 116, the three second side faces being longer than the three first side faces 114.

(17) The upper face 110 comprises a recess 50 communicating with the central housing 5 of the chassis 2 of the propulsion system 1 of FIG. 1.

(18) Furthermore, each second side face 116 comprises two orifices 118 each located in the vicinity of a first side face 114. The propulsion system 1 further comprises auxiliary thrusters. Each auxiliary thruster is mounted on the chassis 2 facing an orifice 118 of the enclosure 11 of the space module 10. The auxiliary thrusters allow monitored rotation of the space module 1 about its main axis which is parallel to the third direction z. This rotation of the space module 1 makes it possible to homogenize the temperature of the orbital deployment space module 1.

(19) Preferably, the auxiliary thrusters of the same second side face are oriented in opposite directions, the one being used to initiate a rotation in one direction and the other being used to initiate a rotation in the opposite direction or cancel the current rotation.

(20) The invention thus makes it possible to provide an orbital deployment space module equipped with a propulsion system whose bulk and cost, apart from the tanks, are reduced, the space saved can be intended to increase the capacity of the tanks or the housings intended to receive one or several satellites.