A spacecraft 300 having a body comprising a plurality of sub-systems for controlling operations of the spacecraft, and a plurality of panels 110 and a plurality of hinges (fig 1, 114) each connecting adjacent ones of the plurality of panels. The hinges are arranged to permit the plurality of panels to be folded into a stowed configuration and unfolded into a deployed configuration, wherein the plurality of subsystems are fixed to and supported by one or more of the plurality of panels. By forming the body of the spacecraft from a deployable structure, the overall size of the spacecraft can be significantly reduced in the stowed configuration. The subsystems may relate to telemetry, navigation, attitude and orbit control or radio communication. The panels may be arranged to electrically shield the subsystems. In some embodiments, a plurality of the spacecraft in the stowed configuration can be combined into a modular spacecraft assembly prior to launch, with data and power connections between the plurality of stowed spacecraft being used to transfer power from, and data to, a payload monitoring unit on the launch vehicle.
Deployable spacecraft body
2019-09-11
Patent
Electronic Resource
English
IPC: | B64G Raumfahrt , COSMONAUTICS |