United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,716,029 Spitzer Et Al
I US005716029A United States Patent (19) 11 Patent Number: 5,716,029 Spitzer et al. 45 Date of Patent: Feb. 10, 1998 54 CONSTANTSUN ANGLE TRANSFER ORBIT Meserole, J., "Launch Costs to GEO Using Solar Powered SEQUENCE AND METHOD USING Orbit Transfer Vehicles". American Institute of Aeronautics ELECTRIC PROPULSION and Astronautic (AIAA) Paper 93-2219. AIAAJSAE (75) Inventors: Arnon Spitzer, Los Angeles, Calif.; ASME/ASEE 29th Joint Propulsion Conference and Solomon A. De Picciotto, Aurora, Colo. Exhibit. Jun. 28-30, 1993. 73 Assignee: Hughes Electronics, Los Angeles, Free, B. "High Altitude Orbit Raising With On-Board Calif. Electric Power", International Electric Propulsion Confer ence Paper 93-205, American Institute Of Aeronautics and (21) Appl. No.: 558,572 Astronautics AIAA/AIDAVDGLA/JSASS 23rd International 22 Filed: Oct. 31, 1995 Electric Propulsion Conference. Sep. 13–16, 1993. Related U.S. Application Data Primary Examiner-Galen L. Barefoot 63 Continuation-in-part of Ser. No. 217,791, Mar. 25, 1994, Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Elizabeth E. Leitereg; Terje Pat No. 5,595,360. Gudmestad; Wanda K. Denson-Low (51) Int. Cl. ... ... B64G 1/10 52 U.S.C. ................................................... 244/158 R 57 ABSTRACT 58) Field of Search ................................ 244/158 R, 164, 244/168, 169, 172 An apparatus and method for translating a spacecraft (102. 108) from an injection orbit (114) about a central body (100) 56) References Cited to synchronous orbit (122) in a time efficient manner. The U.S. PATENT DOCUMENTS spacecraft (102, 108) includes propulsion thrusters (50) 4,943,014 7/1990 Harwood et al. ....................... 244/169 which are fired in predetermined timing sequences con trolled by a controller (64) in relation to the apogee (118) FOREIGN PATENT DOCUMENTS and perigee (120) of the injection orbit (114) and successive 0 047 211 3/1982 European Pat.
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