Inflatable torus and collapsible hinged disc spacecraft designs for satellite communication system

摘要

A series of spacecraft designs (10, 42 and 52) for a Satellite Communication System is disclosed. One of the preferred embodiments of the invention called "Gearsat" (10) comprises a hollow torus which inflates when it reaches orbit. When viewed from the side along its circumference, Gearsat (10) looks like two flattened pyramids sharing a common base. Phased array antenna panels (14) are deployed across the top of the pyramid along an exterior cylindrical surface (12), while twin arrays of solar cells (16) cover the slanted surfaces. The satellite (10) rotates about its center, and individual antenna panels (14) are spatially synchronized to transmit and receive signals from particular regions on the ground. An alternative embodiment, called "Batsat" (42, 52), includes a central cylindrical body (B) and a plurality of substantially circular linked antenna and solar/thermal panels (A1-A9 and S1 and S2) which carry individual antennas (X) and solar/thermal surfaces (Y). All of the embodiments (10, 42 and 52) are capable of being nested or stacked in a compact arrangement that fit within the payload bay of a launch vehicle (L).