阅读说明：本技术 卫星阵列架构 (Satellite array architecture ) 是由 C·科斯纳 Y·费里亚 R·图尔平 A·霍尔 R·阿斯顿 B·科普 R·利昂 于 2018-04-09 设计创作，主要内容包括：卫星系统可以包括绕地球以轨道运行的一个或多个卫星。该一个或多个卫星可以具有支撑天线阵列的卫星总线。该天线阵列可以包括空间馈送阵列。每个空间馈送阵列可以具有天线馈送阵列和耦接到直接辐射阵列的内部阵列。该直接辐射阵列可以在与该空间馈送阵列相同的卫星频带中操作,或者可以使用上变频和下变频电路将在不同卫星频带中操作的直接辐射阵列通信地耦接到该空间馈送阵列。该卫星可以具有带角配件的周边壁,可以选择这些角配件以便为该卫星总线提供特定支腿强度。这可以减少有效载荷整流罩中的卫星的总体质量,同时容纳不同类型的天线阵列。(A satellite system may include one or more satellites that orbit the earth. The one or more satellites may have a satellite bus that supports an antenna array. The antenna array may comprise a spatial feed array. Each spatial feed array may have an antenna feed array and an internal array coupled to a direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite frequency band as the spatial feed array, or direct radiating arrays operating in different satellite frequency bands may be communicatively coupled to the spatial feed array using up-conversion and down-conversion circuitry. The satellite may have a perimeter wall with corner fittings that may be selected to provide a particular leg strength for the satellite bus. This may reduce the overall mass of the satellites in the payload fairing while accommodating different types of antenna arrays.)

1. A satellite, comprising:

a satellite bus;

an antenna array coupled to the satellite bus, wherein the antenna array comprises a direct radiating array that processes signals in a first satellite frequency band and a spatial feed array that processes signals in a second satellite frequency band, the second satellite frequency band being at a higher frequency than the first satellite frequency band; and

an up-conversion and down-conversion circuit coupled between the direct radiating array and the spatial feed array.

2. The satellite of claim 1, wherein the spatial feed array comprises an inner array communicatively coupled to the direct radiating array through the up-conversion and down-conversion circuitry and comprises a feed array.

3. The satellite of claim 2, further comprising a deployment actuator separating the feed array from the inner array.

4. The satellite of claim 3, wherein:

the direct radiating array comprises a first antenna element;

the inner antenna array comprises a second antenna element;

each of the first antenna elements is configured to receive wireless signals in the first satellite frequency band from earth and to provide, by a respective one of the up-conversion and down-conversion circuits, a corresponding up-converted version of these signals in the second satellite frequency band to a respective one of the second antenna elements; and is

Each of the second antenna elements is configured to receive wireless signals in the second satellite frequency band from the feed array and to provide a corresponding down-converted version of these signals in the first satellite frequency band to a respective one of the first antenna elements by a respective one of the up-conversion and down-conversion circuits.

5. The satellite of claim 4, wherein the first satellite frequency band comprises a C-band, and wherein the wireless signals received from earth comprise C-band signals.

6. The satellite of claim 5, wherein the second satellite frequency band comprises a V-band, and wherein the wireless signals received from the feed array comprise V-band signals.

7. The satellite of claim 6, further comprising beamforming and signal routing circuitry in the satellite bus coupled to the feed array.

8. A satellite, comprising:

a satellite bus configured to be interchangeably coupled to the antenna array in a first configuration and the antenna array in a second configuration, wherein in the first configuration, the antenna array comprises a spatial feed array having a feed array and an internal array, the feed array and inner array operate in a first satellite frequency band and include a first direct radiating array, the first direct radiating array is coupled to the inner array through up-and down-conversion circuitry and operates in a second satellite frequency band different from the first satellite frequency band, and wherein in the second configuration, the antenna array comprises the spatial feed array having the feed array and the inner array, the feed array and the inner array operate in the first satellite frequency band and comprise a second direct radiating array, the second direct radiating array is coupled to the inner array and operates in the first satellite frequency band; and

an antenna array coupled to the satellite bus, wherein the antenna array coupled to the satellite bus comprises a selected one of: an antenna array in the first configuration and an antenna array in the second configuration.

9. The satellite of claim 8, wherein the antenna array coupled to the satellite bus further comprises a support structure separating the inner array from the feed array.

10. The satellite of claim 9, wherein the satellite bus has a polygonal profile and has legs.

11. The satellite of claim 10, wherein the satellite bus has a perimeter wall panel and has a configurable strength corner fitting coupled to the perimeter wall panel forming the leg.

12. The satellite of claim 11, further comprising a solar panel coupled to the satellite bus.

13. The satellite of claim 9, wherein the first satellite frequency band comprises a satellite frequency band selected from the group consisting of: v-band and W-band.

14. The satellite of claim 13, wherein the second satellite frequency band comprises a satellite frequency band selected from the group consisting of: and C frequency band.

15. A plurality of satellites operable in a satellite system, comprising:

first satellites each having a first satellite bus of a given type, a first spatial feed array having a first feed array and a first inner array operating in a first satellite frequency band, and a first direct radiating array coupled to the first inner array by up-conversion and down-conversion circuitry and operating in a second satellite frequency band different from the first satellite frequency band, and

second satellites each having a second satellite bus of the given type, a second spatial feed array having a second feed array and a second inner array operating in the first satellite frequency band, and a second direct radiating array coupled to the second inner array and operating in the first satellite frequency band.

16. The plurality of satellites of claim 15, wherein the first satellite and the second satellite are stacked in a nested stack in a common payload fairing.

17. The plurality of satellites of claim 16, wherein at least one of the first satellites has legs of different strengths than at least one of the second satellites.

18. The plurality of satellites of claim 16 wherein the first and second satellite buses comprise at least one satellite bus at a first location in the nested stack and at least another satellite bus at a second location in the nested stack, wherein the second location in the nested stack is higher than the first location, wherein the satellite bus at the first location has a first leg, wherein the satellite bus at the second location has a second leg, and wherein the first leg is configured to experience a higher load than the second leg.

19. The plurality of satellites of claim 18 wherein the first satellite bus and the second satellite bus have a common profile.

20. The plurality of satellites of claim 19 wherein the common contour of the first and second satellite buses is a polygon, and wherein the first and second legs include respective first and second corner fittings coupled to the first and second satellite buses, respectively, wherein the first and second corner fittings differ at least with respect to strength characteristics.

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to communications, including to satellite systems and architectures for communication networks.

Background

Communication systems typically use satellites to transmit data. Satellite-based systems allow wireless transfer of information across long distances, such as the ocean. For example, satellite-based systems may be used to transfer information to terrestrial-based equipment, such as handheld devices and home or office equipment. Additionally, satellite communication systems may be used to provide coverage in the event that physical infrastructure is not already installed and/or to mobile devices that do not remain attached to infrastructure resources.

Implementing an efficient satellite-based communication system can be challenging. If not noticed, satellite deployment may be inefficient, resulting in increased cost and poor ground coverage. Additionally, if the satellite-based communication system is designed to serve the periods or areas of highest demand, resources may remain idle during periods of lower demand and/or on areas of lower demand. Furthermore, conventional satellite-based communication systems designed for specific demand levels may not be able to dynamically increase capacity in response to higher demand.

Disclosure of Invention

A satellite system (or constellation) may have satellites that orbit the earth and communicate with ground based devices, such as mobile devices and/or devices located in a home or office. The satellite may include a satellite bus that supports, among other things, one or more antenna arrays. The one or more antenna arrays may comprise one or more spatial feed arrays. The spatial feed array may have an antenna feed array and an internal array.

The inner array of the spatial feed array may be coupled (directly or indirectly) to the direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite frequency band as the spatial feed array, or may operate in a different satellite (or other) frequency band. In configurations in which the satellite is provided with a direct radiating array operating in a different frequency band than the spatial feed array, up-conversion and down-conversion circuitry may be coupled between the direct radiating array and the spatial feed array.

The beamforming and/or signal routing circuitry may be coupled (directly or indirectly) to a feed array of the spatial feed arrays. The beamforming and/or signal routing circuitry and the array of antenna feeds may be housed within a satellite bus having a perimeter wall attached to the corner fitting. The corner fittings may be customized to provide a customized leg length, shape and strength for the satellite bus. This may help form nested satellite stacks in the payload fairing and help accommodate stacked satellites with different types of antenna arrays.

Drawings

Fig. 1 presents a diagram of an illustrative communication system with satellites in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 2 presents a side view of an illustrative satellite having a direct radiating array and an internal array that have different sizes and can operate using different frequency bands, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 3 presents a side view of an illustrative satellite having a direct radiating array and an internal array that can process satellite signals in a common satellite frequency band in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 4 presents a side view of an illustrative satellite bus with short legs to accommodate short payloads on the underlying satellite bus, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 5 presents a side view of an illustrative satellite bus with high legs to accommodate high payloads on the underlying satellite bus, in accordance with some embodiments.

Figure 6 presents a side view of a portion of a stack of satellite busses having support structures, such as legs, that vary in shape, size, and/or strength depending on position within the stack, according to some embodiments.

Figure 7 presents a diagram illustrating a structure that may be used to form a satellite bus, according to some embodiments.

Fig. 8 presents a side view of an illustrative satellite having an antenna array in a stowed configuration in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 9 presents a side view of the schematic satellite of fig. 8 with the antenna array in a deployed configuration, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 10 presents a perspective view of an illustrative satellite with a direct radiating array and an internal array of comparable size, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 11 presents a side view of the schematic satellite of fig. 10 with its antenna array in a stowed configuration, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 12 presents a cross-sectional side view of an illustrative spacecraft payload fairing loaded with a satellite of the type shown in fig. 10 and 11, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 13 presents a perspective view of an illustrative satellite having a direct radiating array that is larger than an inner array, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 14 presents a side view of the satellite of fig. 13 with its antenna array in a stowed configuration, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 15 presents a cross-sectional side view of a spacecraft payload fairing loaded with a satellite of the type shown in fig. 13 and 14, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 16 presents a perspective view of an illustrative satellite having a tiled direct radiating array that is larger than the inner array, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 17 presents a side view of the satellite of fig. 16 with its antenna array in a stowed configuration, in accordance with some embodiments.

Fig. 18 presents a cross-sectional side view of a spacecraft payload fairing loaded with a satellite of the type shown in fig. 16 and 17, in accordance with some embodiments.

Detailed Description

The present disclosure, including the figures, is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation.

The communication network may include one or more communication satellites and other devices, including ground-based communication devices and user terminals (or User Equipment (UE)). One or more satellites may be used, for example, to deliver wireless services to portable electronic devices, home and/or office equipment, and other equipment. For example, wireless services may be provided to handheld devices, wearable devices, set-top boxes, media devices, mobile terminals, computing devices, sensors, and the like. An exemplary communication system with satellites is shown in fig. 1. As shown in fig. 1, system 10 may include one or more constellations of communication satellites 22. The satellites 22 may be placed in any/all of a Low Earth Orbit (LEO) around the earth 12 (e.g., at 500-. Satellites 22 may form a constellation of satellites having one or more satellite sets with different types of orbits, e.g., synchronized with each other to provide a desired amount of coverage to a user population (or geographic area). Any suitable number of satellites 22 may be present in one or more of the satellite constellations of the system 10 (e.g., 10-100, 1,000-10,000, greater than 100, greater than 1000, less than 10,000, etc.).

The satellite 22 may deliver wireless services to devices such as the electronic device 18. The electronic devices 18 may include handheld devices and/or other mobile devices, such as cellular phones, tablet computers, laptop computers, watches, and other wearable devices, mobile terminals, drones, robots, and other portable electronic devices. Electronic device 18 may include one or more relatively small antennas (see, e.g., antenna 20A, which may be included in electronic device 18 or may be coupled (directly or indirectly) to electronic device 18). Additionally, the electronic device 18 may comprise a less portable device such as a set-top box, router, home base station, or other such device, and may have one or more larger antennas (see, e.g., antenna 20B, which may be included in or associated with the electronic device, e.g., in a home or office). The electronic device 18 may be located anywhere on or above the earth, for example, on land, at sea, or in the air. The services provided by the satellite 22 may include telephony (voice) services, broadband internet access, media distribution services such as satellite audio (satellite radio and/or streaming audio services) and satellite television (video), data communications, positioning, and/or other services.

System 10 may include one or more Network Operations Centers (NOCs), such as NOC 16, which may be coupled to one or more gateways (e.g., gateway 14). Any suitable number of gateways 14 may be present in system 10 (e.g., 1-100, greater than 10, greater than 100, less than 1000, etc.). The gateway 14 may have transceivers that allow the gateway to transmit wireless signals to the satellite 22 over the wireless link 20 and to receive wireless signals from the satellite 22 over the wireless link 20. The wireless link 20 may also be used to support communication between the satellite 22 and the electronic device 18. For example, during a media distribution operation, the gateway 14 may send traffic to a given satellite 22 via an uplink (one of the links 20) and then route it to one or more electronic devices 18 via a downlink (one of the links 20). Gateway 14 may perform various services including provisioning media for electronic device 18, routing telephone calls (e.g., voice and/or video calls) between electronic device 18 and/or other devices, providing internet access for electronic device 18, and/or delivering other communication and/or data services to electronic device 18. Gateways 14 may communicate with each other via satellites 22 and/or using a ground-based communication network.

NOC 16 may be used to manage the operation of one or more gateways 14 and/or the operation of one or more satellites 22. For example, the NOC 16 may monitor network performance and take appropriate corrective action if necessary. During these operations, the NOC 16 may update software for one or more satellites 22 and/or electronic devices 18, may adjust the altitude and/or other orbital parameters of the satellites 22, may instruct one or more satellites 22 to perform operations that adjust satellite solar panels and/or other satellite components, and/or may otherwise control and maintain one or more satellites 22 in a constellation of satellites orbiting the earth 12. Additionally, in some embodiments, the NOC 16 may also be configured to perform maintenance operations on one or more gateways 14.

The gateway 14, satellite 22, NOC 16, and electronic device 18 may be configured to support encrypted communications. For example, the NOC 16 and the gateway 14 may communicate using encrypted communications. Similarly, the gateway 14, satellite 22, and electronic device 18 may communicate using encrypted communications. This allows the NOC 16 to issue security commands and receive security information when communicating with the gateways 14, satellites 22, and/or electronic devices 18. The use of encrypted communications within system 10 also allows electronic devices 18 to securely communicate with each other and with gateway 14, and also allows gateway 14 to securely distribute media and/or other information to electronic devices 18, for example, in accordance with digital protection requirements.

During operation of the system 10, the satellites 22 may serve as orbital relays. For example, when gateway 14 transmits wireless uplink signals, one or more satellites 22 may forward these signals as downlink signals to one or more electronic devices 18. In some embodiments, some electronic devices 18 may be receive-only devices, while other electronic devices 18 may support two-way communication with satellites. Where the electronic device 18 supports two-way communication, the electronic device 18 may transmit wireless signals to one or more satellites 22 so that the one or more satellites 22 may relay this information to one or more appropriate destinations (e.g., the gateway 14, other electronic devices 18, etc.).

Satellite 22 may support any suitable satellite communication frequency band (e.g., IEEE frequency band), such as the L-band (1-2GHz), S-band (2-4GHz), C-band (4-8GHz), Ka-band (27-40GHz), V-band (40-75GHz), W-band (75-110GHz), and/or other frequency bands suitable for spatial communication (e.g., frequencies above 1GHz, below 110GHz, and/or other suitable frequencies). An exemplary configuration in which satellite 22 supports C-band and/or V-band may sometimes be described herein as an example, but other bands may be used as desired.

Some frequencies (e.g., C-band frequencies and other low frequencies, such as L-band and S-band frequencies) may penetrate buildings and thus may be suitable, at least at some times, for communicating with electronic devices located indoors, such as handheld electronic devices 18 (e.g., devices that are mobile and may sometimes be indoors and may sometimes be outdoors) and/or electronic devices 18 without external antennas/receivers. Other frequencies (e.g., V-band frequencies and other high frequencies, such as Ka-band and W-band frequencies) cannot easily (or efficiently) penetrate buildings, and thus may be suitable for communication with electronic devices 18 having external antennas/receivers (e.g., antenna 20B) that are installed outdoors and/or otherwise have line-of-sight paths to satellites 22. To accommodate various scenarios (e.g., mobile device scenarios and home/office scenarios), the satellites 22 may include, for example, C-band satellites (or other low-band satellites, such as L-band or S-band satellites), V-band satellites (or other high-band satellites, such as Ka-band or W-band satellites), and/or dual-band satellites (e.g., satellites that support C-band and V-band communications or other low-band and high-band communications).

The satellites 22 may use any suitable type of antenna (e.g., phased antenna arrays, fixed direct radiating arrays, deployable direct radiating antenna arrays, space feed arrays, reflector feed arrays, etc.). Antenna arrays based on spatial feed arrays are sometimes described herein as examples, which may fold into a flat stowed profile when delivered to space.

In at least some embodiments, a collapsible spatial feed array (sometimes referred to as a spatial feed lens array) is used to feed the direct radiating array. The direct radiating array may operate in the same satellite frequency band as the spatial feed array (e.g., at V-band frequencies), or may operate at a different satellite frequency band (e.g., C-band frequencies). In configurations where the direct radiating array operates at C-band frequencies, up-conversion and down-conversion circuitry may be used to convert between the operating frequency of the spatial feed array (in this example the V-band) and the operating frequency of the direct radiating array (in this example the C-band). By converting the C-band signals to V-band for the spatial-feed array, the size of the spatial-feed array may be reduced (since the V-band spatial-feed array may occupy less space than the C-band spatial-feed array).

Fig. 2 presents a side view of an illustrative satellite having a collapsible (e.g., foldable) spatial feed array. As shown in fig. 2, the satellite 22 may have a housing structure such as a bus 52. The bus 52 may have a main portion 54 that may include fixed or removable downwardly extending legs 56. The shape of the bus 52 may be relatively flat (e.g., planar when viewed from the side and relatively thin), have a polygonal profile or other suitable profile (e.g., hexagonal or octagonal footprint when viewed from above). The flat shape of the bus 52 may facilitate stacking. A solar panel 58 may extend from the side of the bus 52 and may be used to power the bus 52. The bus 52 may be provided with any/all of a chemical propulsion system, an electrical propulsion system (e.g., a set of 4-8 propellers, each having an associated tank of ionized fluid), a hybrid propulsion system, and/or one or more other suitable propulsion systems.

The direct radiating antenna array (direct radiating array) 30 may have an array of antenna elements 32 (e.g., 10 elements, 100 elements, or other suitable number of elements). Circuitry 34 may be used to couple (communicatively) array 30 to internal array 42. The internal array 42 may have an array of antenna elements 44 (e.g., 10 elements, 100 elements, or other suitable number of elements). Each of the elements 44 may be coupled (communicatively) to a respective one of the elements 32 using the circuitry 34.

Circuitry 34 may include any/all of integrated circuitry, discrete components, transmission line structures, and/or other circuitry on one or more substrates (such as one or more printed circuit boards). The heat sink structure may be used to radiate excess heat. The circuit components of circuitry 34 may include amplifiers, such as amplifier 36, up-conversion circuitry, such as up-converter 38 (e.g., a C-band to V-band up-converter), and down-conversion circuitry, such as down-converter 41 (e.g., a V-band to C-band down-converter). Each down-converter 41 may be embedded in an amplifier (e.g., power amplifier) chain that provides a signal from a given one of the elements 44 in the inner array 42 to a corresponding one of the elements 32 in the direct radiating array 30. The signal provided by the downconverter 41 is a downconverted version of the signal received by the inner array 42. Each upconverter 38 may be embedded in a chain of amplifiers 36 (e.g., low noise amplifiers) that provide signals from a given one of the elements 32 in the direct radiating array 30 to a corresponding one of the elements 44 in the internal array 42. The signal provided by the upconverter 38 is an upconverted version of the signal received by the array 30.

The spatial feed array 40 may include an inner array 42 and a feed array 46. Feed array 46 may include an array of antenna elements 48 (e.g., 10 elements, 100 elements, or other suitable number of elements). The feed array 46 may be coupled to phased antenna array feed circuitry, such as beamforming and signal routing circuitry 50. The circuitry 50 may be used to feed one or more antenna elements 48 in the feed array 46. During operation, digital and analog beamforming operations may be performed by circuitry 50. The spatial feed array 40 and the direct radiating array 30 act as radio frequency lenses that project outgoing wireless signals from the feed array 46 onto desired locations on earth and route incoming signals from earth onto the appropriate antenna elements 48 of the feed array 46. The signal routing circuitry in circuitry 50 may include, for example, a 1000 x 1000 switch or other suitable switching circuitry for routing the uplink to the downlink. The circuit 50 may be used to support band management (channelizer) functions. The antenna array of circuitry 50 and satellites 22 may be used to process up to thousands or tens of thousands of individual wireless satellite signal beams (e.g., beams associated with individual electronic devices 18 and/or groups of electronic devices 18, gateways 14, etc.).

Deployment actuator 60 may form a strut, and may include an electrically controlled actuator, power transmission cables, shields, and other structures. When expanded as shown in fig. 2, the deployment structure 60 separates the inner array 42 from the feed array 46. The separation between the inner array 42 and the feed array 46 may be, for example, about 2 meters. However, an appropriate (effective) separation distance may be selected based on the configuration of the inner array 42 and the feed array 46. Upon transporting the satellite 22 to orbit, the structure 60 may be retracted (e.g., in the-Z direction) into the bus 52 to stow the antenna arrays 30 and 42 in a compact arrangement.

By using circuitry 34 to convert signals between frequency bands, the size of satellite 22 and/or its associated antenna spatial feed array may be reduced. The width (diameter) W of the C-band array (direct radiating array 30) may be quite large (e.g., 8-11 meters, greater than 6m, greater than 8m, less than 10m, less than 15m, etc.). In order to feed the direct radiating array 30 with a spatially fed array operating at the C-band frequency, the width (diameter) of the feed array 46 and the inner array 42 would need to be increased accordingly. However, with the up/down conversion arrangement of fig. 2, the spatial feed array 40 may operate at V-band frequencies and may be relatively compact (e.g., 1-5m in diameter, less than 3m in diameter, greater than 0.5m in diameter, etc.). A configuration in which the direct radiating array 30 of the satellite 22 supports only V-band operation may also be used.

As shown in fig. 3, for example, the direct radiating array 30 may be implemented as a V-band array having a relatively compact width (diameter) W (e.g., a width commensurate with the width of the inner array 42 of the V-band spatial feed array 40). In this type of arrangement, the up-converter 38 and down-converter 41 may be omitted. If desired, some of the satellites 22 in the system 10 (FIG. 1) may be C/V band satellites of the type shown in FIG. 2, and other satellites 22 in the system 10 may be V band satellites such as shown in FIG. 3. The same type of spatially fed array (see, e.g., array 40 of fig. 2 and 3) may be used in both types of satellites, thereby reducing system complexity.

The antenna elements forming the antenna array of satellite 22 may be any/all of a horn antenna, a slot antenna, a patch antenna, a monopole, a dipole, an antenna using other types of antenna resonating elements, and/or an antenna using a combination of these antenna elements. In arrangements involving relatively large arrays, it may be desirable to form the array from a set of interlocking antenna array panels (tiles). A satellite that operates only in the higher frequency band (e.g., the V-band in this example), such as satellite 22 of fig. 3, may use an antenna structure (e.g., array 30) having a width W that is less than the width of a satellite having a directly radiating array 30 operating at the C-band frequencies, such as satellite 22 of fig. 2. Thus, the direct radiating array 30 of the satellite 22 of fig. 3 may have an antenna array panel stack formed of a single panel or a relatively small number of panels, and this stack will be shorter than an antenna array panel stack formed of a large number of panels for the corresponding direct radiating array 30 of the satellite 22 of fig. 2.

The satellites 22 may be vertically stacked when loaded into the payload fairing of the launch vehicle. To accommodate antenna array panel stacks of different heights in a nested stack including satellites 22 having different types of antenna arrays, the satellites 22 may have a personalized bus. Each bus 52 may be personalized depending on its position in the stack of buses in the fairing and/or based on the payload type of the bus below that bus.

For example, consider the arrangement of fig. 4. In the example of fig. 4, the satellite 22 has a bus 52 with a main portion 54 and legs 56. The bus 52 'of the lower satellite 22' has a relatively short stack of antenna array panels 64. The short panel stack 64 may have an elevation T1 and may, for example, be associated with a satellite of the type shown in fig. 3 (e.g., a V-band satellite). To accommodate the relatively short height T1, the bus 52 of the satellite 22 may have short legs 56 of height H1. In some embodiments, bus 52 may also include an array of stowed solar panels, which may also be considered in determining the length and separation height H1 of legs 56.

As another example, consider the arrangement of fig. 5. In the example of fig. 5, the bus of the satellite 22 (such as bus 52) has relatively tall legs 56 of height H2 so that there is sufficient space below the satellite 22 to accommodate the high antenna array panel stack 64 on the satellite bus 52 'of the satellite 22'. The tall stack 64 of fig. 5 has a height T2 that is greater than T1 (e.g., the stack 64 of fig. 5 may contain more antenna array panels to support C-band operation). Because height T2 is less than H2, stack 64 may be housed in the space below satellite 22.

If desired, the legs 56 on each bus 52 may be customized based on the position of that bus 52 within the stack of nested buses 52 in the payload fairing (e.g., based on the vertical position Z of FIG. 6). As shown in fig. 6, for example, the legs 56 may have different shapes, different sizes, and/or different strengths depending on the vertical position Z. Different configurations of the legs 56 may be selected such that the legs 56 are stronger (e.g., larger or made of a stronger material) at lower locations (smaller Z-values) and gradually weaker (e.g., smaller or made of a lighter material) at higher locations (larger Z-values). This helps to ensure that satellites at the lower portion of the satellite stack are not damaged by the over weight of the stacked satellites. Satellites at the top of the stack may be formed with lighter and smaller legs than lower level satellites, as fewer satellites are stacked above, thereby saving overall payload weight. The composition of the legs 56 for each bus in the stack may be selected based on the load that the legs 56 need to withstand during firing. For example, during launch, the load experienced by a bus at or near the bottom of the stack (e.g., bus 52-1) will be greater than the load experienced by a bus at or near the top of the stack (e.g., bus 52-4). Since the load during launch is greater than the load experienced prior to launch, each leg 56 may be selected according to the load (e.g., maximum load) that the leg will experience during launch. The size, shape, thickness, density, composition, height, etc. of the legs 56 may be varied to provide a more robust leg 56 on the bus bar 52 near the bottom of the stack and a lighter (and possibly less expensive) leg 56 on the bus bar near the top of the stack. Additionally, the height of the legs 56 may also be selected based on the necessary separation from the immediately underlying bus, such as based on a stowed antenna and/or solar array. In at least some embodiments, a limited number of legs 56 will be available as a choice to accommodate different height and strength requirements while still meeting economies of scale (e.g., not every leg 56 needs to be customized).

Fig. 7 illustrates how the main bus section 54 may be formed from a perimeter wall panel 70 supported by a network of interior panels 72. An annular planar upper panel 76 may be attached to the top of the panels 70 and 72 and a planar lower panel 74 may be attached to the bottom of the panels 70 and 72 to form the bus 52. The legs 56 may be formed from variable length corner fittings attached to the perimeter panel 70 (e.g., corner fittings attached to the panel 70 using welds, screws or other fasteners, adhesives, or other attachment mechanisms). The structure of fig. 7 may be formed from any/all of metal, polymer (e.g., fiber composite), and/or other suitable materials. In the example of fig. 7, the bus 52 has an octagonal profile (i.e., an octagonal footprint when viewed from above). The bus 52 may be configured to have a hexagonal profile, other polygonal profiles, or other shapes, if desired. The example of fig. 7 is merely illustrative.

As shown in the side view of fig. 8, one or more panels, such as solar panels 58, may be stacked below the bus 52 prior to deployment in space. An antenna array 78 (e.g., a panel of the direct radiating array 30) may be stored on top of the bus 52 (e.g., by retracting the deployment actuator 60). The deployment arm 80 may be used to move the solar panel 58 from the stowed configuration of fig. 8 to a deployed configuration in which the solar panel 58 extends from the side of the bus 52 (see, e.g., fig. 2 and 3). Springs, hinges, stops, and other mechanisms may be used to help deploy the panels 58 in a desired shape (e.g., in two long arms extending from opposite sides of the bus 52 or other suitable solar panel array shape). The panels 58 may be polygonal (hexagonal, octagonal, rectangular, etc.) or may have other suitable shapes.

In the example of fig. 8, the antenna array 78 is in a stowed configuration. Fig. 9 shows the antenna array 78 of fig. 8 in a deployed configuration. For example, the deployment actuator 60 may be extended to move the antenna array 78 (and any other associated hardware) away from the bus 52.

Fig. 10 is a perspective view of the satellite 22 in a configuration in which the antenna array 78 includes a small direct radiating array 30 (e.g., a V-band array). Fig. 11 presents a side view of the satellite 22 of fig. 10 in which the solar panels 58 and antenna array 78 have been stowed, for example, prior to stacking the satellite 22 with other satellites in a payload fairing 80 (fig. 12). The satellites 22 may be nested on top of each other using legs 56 (and possibly other structures) to achieve separation. One or more characteristics (e.g., height, strength, shape, size, composition, etc.) of the legs 56 may be selected with reference to the position of the satellites 52 within the nested stack. If desired, each satellite 22 may have an individually selected leg whose height is selected to accommodate the thickness of the payload of the satellite bus directly beneath that satellite, and/or whose strength (or load-bearing capacity) is selected to accommodate the load that the bus 52 will experience during launch (depending on its relative stacking position).

Fig. 13 presents a perspective view of the satellite 22 in a configuration in which the antenna array 78 has tiled array panels, such as a central hexagonal panel surrounded by six trapezoidal-shaped panels, to form a polygonal antenna array shape (e.g., for a direct radiating array 30 supporting C-band frequencies, such as the direct radiating array 30 of fig. 2). Fig. 14 illustrates how the stack of panels of the antenna array 78 of fig. 13 may be thicker (e.g., when nested) than one or more panels of the antenna array 78 of the satellite 22 of fig. 11. Thus, the satellite bus 52 above the panel stack of the antenna array 78 of fig. 13 would need to be equipped with longer legs 56 to accommodate the added height. Fig. 15 shows how a satellite, such as satellite 22 of fig. 14, may be loaded into a payload fairing 80 in a nested stack.

Fig. 16 is a perspective view of the satellite 22 in a configuration in which the antenna array 78 has tiled, hexagonal antenna array panels that form a relatively large antenna array structure (e.g., for a direct radiating array 30 supporting C-band frequencies, such as the direct radiating array 30 of fig. 2). The panels of the array 30 may be formed from octagonal panels or panels of other shapes, if desired. The example of fig. 16 is merely illustrative.

Fig. 17 shows how the panels of the antenna array 78 of fig. 16 may be collapsed. As shown in fig. 17, the stowed panel of the antenna array 78 may be thicker than one or more panels of the antenna array 78 of the satellite 22 of fig. 11. . Fig. 18 shows how a satellite, such as satellite 22 of fig. 18, may be loaded into a payload fairing 80 in a nested stack. The fairing 80 of fig. 12, 15, and 18 may include only buses 52 with one type of antenna array (e.g., direct radiating array 30) in a homogeneous payload, or may include buses 52 with multiple types of antenna arrays (e.g., with different heights) in heterogeneous payloads.

By omitting the central distribution mechanism, the satellites 22 may be densely packed into the fairing 80. In space, each stacked satellite may be successively dispensed using (e.g., passive) dispensing mechanisms, such as radio controlled releases and passive disconnect springs. The satellites 22 may be assigned by: the method may include releasing the cowling surrounding the stacked satellites, releasing the topmost stacked satellite (e.g., by releasing the junction between the topmost satellite and the next topmost satellite in the stack via a wireless command from the earth), waiting for the released satellite to drift away from the stack, and then repeating this process until all satellites have been released. The time of each release may be further selected to facilitate positioning of the satellite 22 in its orbit.

The same (or nearly the same) spatial feed array design may be used in differently configured satellites 22, if desired. For example, the configuration of the spatial feed array 40 of the C-band to V-band satellite 22 of fig. 2 may be the same as the configuration of the spatial feed array 40 of the V-band satellite 22 of fig. 3. The bus 52 may also be the same or similar when configured for a satellite 22 of the type shown in fig. 2 (sometimes referred to as a hybrid satellite or a modified antenna satellite), and when configured for a satellite 22 of the type shown in fig. 3. Using this approach, portions of the satellite 22 may be shared, such as a common spatial feed array and a common bus. When configured to operate in a V-band arrangement, the direct radiating array 30 mounted on the spatial feed array 40 will have similar dimensions to the internal array 42 in the spatial feed array 40 (and will handle the same satellite frequency band). When configured to operate in a hybrid mode, the direct radiating array 30 may be larger than the inner array 42 of the spatial feed array 40 (e.g., the array 30 may be relatively large to handle C-band signals, while the spatial feed array 40 may have an antenna array that is more compact and suitable for handling V-band signals).

Satellites 22 having an equally sized array configuration and satellites 22 having a hybrid array configuration may be mounted in a common payload fairing for delivery to space and/or may be deployed using separate payload fairings. When loaded into the same payload fairing, both types of satellites can be accommodated by adjusting the leg size of the legs 56 of the satellite bus 52. This allows stacks of array panels of different heights to be accommodated in a nested stack of satellites.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a satellite comprising: a satellite bus; an antenna array coupled to the satellite bus, the antenna array including a direct radiating array that processes signals in a first satellite frequency band and a spatial feed array that processes signals in a second satellite frequency band, the second satellite frequency band being at a higher frequency than the first satellite frequency band; and up-conversion and down-conversion circuitry coupled between the direct radiating array and the spatial feed array.

According to another embodiment, the spatial feed array includes an inner array communicatively coupled to the direct radiating array through up-conversion and down-conversion circuitry and includes a feed array.

According to another embodiment, the satellite includes a deployment actuator that separates the feed array from the inner array.

According to another embodiment, the direct radiating array comprises first antenna elements, the inner antenna array comprises second antenna elements, each of the first antenna elements is configured to receive wireless signals in a first satellite frequency band from earth, and is configured to provide a corresponding upconverted version of these signals in a second satellite frequency band to a respective one of the second antenna elements by a respective one of the upconversion and downconversion circuits; and each of the second antenna elements is configured to receive wireless signals in a second satellite frequency band from the feed array and to provide a corresponding down-converted version of these signals in the first satellite frequency band to a respective one of the first antenna elements by a respective one of the up-conversion and down-conversion circuits.

According to another embodiment, the first satellite frequency band comprises a C-band and the wireless signals received from earth comprise C-band signals.

According to another embodiment, the second satellite frequency band comprises a V-band and the wireless signals received from the feed array comprise V-band signals.

According to another embodiment, a satellite includes beamforming and signal routing circuitry in a satellite bus coupled to a feed array.

According to one embodiment, a satellite is provided that includes a satellite bus; an antenna array coupled to the satellite bus, the antenna array having a selected one of: a first configuration in which the antenna array comprises a spatial feed array having a feed array and an inner array, the feed array and the inner array operating in a first satellite frequency band and comprising a first direct radiating array coupled to the inner array by up-and down-conversion circuitry and operating in a second satellite frequency band different from the first satellite frequency band; and a second configuration in which the antenna array comprises a spatial feed array having a feed array and an inner array, the feed array and the inner array operating in a first satellite frequency band and comprising a second direct radiating array coupled to the inner array and operating in the first satellite frequency band.

According to another embodiment, the satellite includes a support structure separating the internal array from the feed array.

According to another embodiment, the satellite bus has a polygonal profile and has legs.

According to another embodiment, a satellite bus has a perimeter wall panel and has a configurable length of corner fittings coupled to the perimeter wall panel forming legs.

According to another embodiment, a satellite includes a solar panel coupled to a satellite bus.

According to another embodiment, the first satellite frequency band comprises a satellite frequency band selected from the group consisting of: ka band, V band, and W band.

According to another embodiment, the second satellite frequency band comprises a satellite frequency band selected from the group consisting of: l-band, S-band, and W-band.

According to one embodiment, there is provided a plurality of satellites operable in a satellite system, comprising: first satellites each having a first satellite bus, a first spatial feed array having a first feed array and a first inner array operating in a first satellite frequency band, and a first direct radiating array coupled to the first inner array by up-conversion and down-conversion circuitry and operating in a second satellite frequency band different from the first satellite frequency band; and second satellites each having a second satellite bus, a second spatial feed array having a second feed array and a second inner array operating in the first satellite frequency band, and a second direct radiating array coupled to the second inner array and operating in the first satellite frequency band.

According to another embodiment, the first satellite and the second satellite are stacked in a nested stack in a common payload fairing.

According to another embodiment, at least one of the first satellites has a leg of a different length than at least one of the second satellites.

According to another embodiment, the first satellite bus and the second satellite bus comprise at least one satellite bus at a first location in the nested stack and at least another satellite bus at a second location in the nested stack, the second location in the nested stack being higher than the first location, the satellite bus at the first location having a first leg, the satellite bus at the second location having a second leg, and the first leg being configured to experience a higher load than the second leg.

According to another embodiment, the first satellite bus and the second satellite bus have the same profile.

According to another embodiment, the common contour of the first satellite bus and the second satellite bus is a polygon, and the first leg and the second leg comprise respective first and second corner fittings coupled to the first satellite bus and the second satellite bus, respectively, the first and second corner fittings differing with respect to at least a strength characteristic, a height characteristic, a shape characteristic, a size characteristic, or a composition characteristic.

The foregoing is merely exemplary and various modifications may be made to the embodiments. The foregoing embodiments may be implemented independently or in any combination.