Abstract: A method for locating a target relative to a vehicle is disclosed. The target includes at least one three-dimensional external component presenting a quadratic surface. The method includes the steps of capturing an image of the target having an area of interest in which the external component of the target is visible in the form of an elliptical contour, for each of the pixels of the area of interest in the image, calculating an intensity gradient of the image around the pixel, and determining, based on the intensity gradient, the parameters of a line presenting a direction normal to the gradient at the pixel, selecting, among the set of determined lines, a set of lines that are tangents to the elliptical contour, and estimating the parameters of the elliptical contour on the image based on the parameters of the tangents to the elliptical contour.

Abstract: A method for attaching a heat-emitting device and a capillary heat pipe to a panel of a spacecraft wall is disclosed including the steps of: a) positioning a capillary heat pipe on a portion of the panel; attaching female attachment bodies to the panel, the female attachment bodies protruding relative to the capillary heat pipe; c) placing a thermally-conductive and self-curing paste over a portion of the capillary heat pipe or over a heat-emitting device; d) placing a heat-emitting device on the thermally-conductive and self-curing paste and on the female attachment bodies, said heat-emitting device bearing against and being in direct contact with the female attachment bodies, and e) attaching the heat-emitting device and said capillary heat pipe to the panel by attaching male attachment members to the female attachment bodies.

Abstract: A method for federating at least two communication networks for mobile terminals by establishing a dedicated link between the two networks and then configuring one of the networks to use elements of the other network, in particular the user database and the communication policy manager.

Abstract: A payload module of a stratospheric drone including a casing (10), and payload equipment contained in the casing (10), wherein the casing includes a support structure (12) and a cover (15), the support structure being suitable for attachment to the drone at the front end thereof, relative to the direction of movement of the drone, and for extending forward from said front end, and in that the cover (15) and the payload equipment are supported by the support structure (12).

Abstract: A system and a method for assisting with troubleshooting a complex system is disclosed in which the troubleshooting procedure can be modeled by a Markov decision process. Combining the fault tree technique with a Markov decision process, in order to determine in an optimal manner the sequence of troubleshooting actions will quickly address the consequences of a failure and ensure maintainability of the complex system.

Abstract: A spacecraft is disclosed having at least three flat side walls, at least one main communication antenna, including a radiating element having a central axis of radiation (AC-AC), a movable arm configured to move between a deployed position and a folded position, a reflector suitable for reflecting or receiving radiofrequency waves in a direction of emission (DE). The radiating element is fixed to a side wall so that the central axis of radiation (AC-AC) is arranged perpendicularly to the side wall, and the movable arm is shaped so that an offset angle (?) of between 25° and 65° is formed between the side wall and the direction of emission (DE), when the movable arm is in a deployed position.

Abstract: Disclosed is a method for gauging the liquid propellant tank of a spacecraft during a phase of high-thrust along an axis, the tank being thermally conductive and having a known geometry. The method includes steps of: attaching, on a wall of the tank, a heating member and at least one temperature sensor in proximity to the heating member and in a plane of interest perpendicular to the thrust axis; during the high-thrust phase, heating the wall of the tank and acquiring temperature measurements of the wall of the tank at rapid frequency; determining the instant I when the temperature measured by the sensor changes, such change indicating the presence of the liquid-gas interface in the tank in the plane of interest; and determining the volume of liquid propellant present in the tank at instant I.

Abstract: Disclosed is a spacecraft including: a housing defining an exterior space, the housing having a first face and a second face; and first and second radiators carried by the first and second faces, the first and second radiators each having an inner main face, an outer main face, and side faces. The spacecraft includes a first auxiliary radiator and a first auxiliary heat transfer device thermally connecting the first auxiliary radiator to the inner main face of the second radiator, the first auxiliary radiator being arranged in a first portion of the exterior space defined by the outer main face of the first radiator and by first planes containing the side faces of the first radiator. The first auxiliary heat transfer device includes a heat conducting device. The first auxiliary radiator is composed solely of one or two radiating panels supporting the heat conducting device.

Abstract: A computer implemented method for detecting a set of relevant communities of accounts, the accounts being connected by at least one communication platform, includes collecting data from a stream of messages circulating on at least one communication platform; extracting interaction data and shared objects, the shared objects being shared among the accounts; processing each collected message in order to obtain content metadata; processing collected data in order to obtain an account profile of each account; from collected data building shared objects graphs and interaction graphs; building a resulting graph; applying a community detection method to the resulting graph to obtain a set of communities of accounts; computing quality indicators of the set of communities to obtain at least one score for each community the score enabling the selection of at least a relevant community.

Abstract: A radiative fin for a spacecraft is disclosed having an end fitting of heat conductive material, configured to be mounted on the spacecraft, a flexible radiative laminate, connected to the end fitting at one end and having an opposite free end, at least one pyrolytic graphite sheet, and at least one heat emission layer in contact with the pyrolythic graphite sheet on at least part of the surface of the pyrolythic graphite sheet, and a flexible rod, extending from the end fitting along at least part of a side of the flexible radiative laminate and being affixed to the latter. The flexible rod is adapted to occupy a folded position and a deployed position and to exert, while in the folded position, a deployment torque adapted to bring the flexible rod back to the deployed position.

Abstract: A test device for testing a solar generator of a satellite or solar drone, the solar generator includes an array of solar cells, each junction being capable of converting photons of a respective wavelength band into electric current, the test device includes: an array of light sources including at least one row of light sources, wherein each light source emits light in each of the electrical conversion wavelength bands of the junction(s) of the solar cells, and a control unit for the array of light sources, and capable of controlling the turning on and off of each of the light sources of the array individually, wherein the array of light sources selectively illuminates each solar cell of the solar generator by turning on one or more light sources of the array, with the solar cell receiving an irradiance that is greater than at least 130W/m2.

Abstract: A unidirectional communication system to allow the sending of alerts and notification to remote operators while relieving the problem of the protection of a secured network against cyberattacks when the secured network has a need to communicate information from the secured network to a public network. In practice, the solution is based on the use of a data diode (also known under the name of network diode) to allow unidirectional transmission of information from the secured network to a public network, which makes a computer attack on the secured network from the public network impossible. Further, because of a commanded data diode, no sensitive information can leak from the secured network via the system according to the invention. The transmission of the message is only done after the message to be sent has been cleaned of sensitive information and then encrypted.

Abstract: A cellular telecommunication system comprises a radio access part comprising a plurality of base stations that can be offset by wireless connection, as well as a core network part comprising quality-of-service policy control equipment connected via a first connection to a gateway via which radio bearers are set up. Proxy equipment: intercepts, on said first connection, each session establishment or session update message; when the intercepted message does not concern a radio bearer involving a base station offset by wireless connection, propagates the message to its destination. Otherwise the proxy equipment: determines a remaining bandwidth via said wireless connection; when the remaining bandwidth covers a bandwidth requirement expressed in the intercepted message, propagates the message to its destination; and otherwise modifies the message by indicating a bandwidth requirement of no more than the remaining bandwidth.

Abstract: A method for simulating the estimation of a time to acquire satellite images associated with at least one predetermined area of the Earth, by at least one Earth observation satellite having an optical imaging system, the predetermined area being previously divided into a grid of cells, the acquisition being scheduled to be triggered starting on an analysis start date is disclosed having the steps of: (a) conducting an inventory of the cells planned to be overflown by the satellite on a current iteration date, on the basis of the orbital characteristics of the satellite on the current iteration date, thus obtaining candidate cells, (b) identifying among the candidate cells, on the basis of a mission plan of the satellite, those cells for which acquisition of at least one satellite image is scheduled, thus obtaining scheduled cells, (c) obtaining at least a first cloudiness value for each of the scheduled cells, (d) identifying, among the scheduled cells, those for which the first associated cloudiness value is

Abstract: A payload module (1) of a stratospheric drone including: a casing (10), and a piece of optical equipment (20) comprising an optical axis, mounted in the casing, wherein the module being includes a mirror (40) positioned on the optical axis facing the optical equipment, the mirror being swivelable about at least one axis, within an angular range, wherein the casing has a through-opening (11) shaped so that any light ray received or emitted by the optical equipment parallel to the optical axis and reflected by the mirror passes through the through-opening, over the entire angular range of the mirror.

Abstract: A heat transfer device is disclosed having a housing including a first main wall and a second main wall, the housing having a sealed internal cavity, a liquid contained in the internal cavity, and a mixer able to set the liquid in motion, the heat transfer device being able to be switched between a first state and a second state in which the liquid is in motion and transfers heat by convection between the first main wall and the second main wall, the thermal conductance between the first main wall and the second main wall in the first state being four times less than the thermal conductance between the first main wall and the second main wall in the second state.

Abstract: A method for locating a three-dimensional target with respect to a vehicle is disclosed including capturing an image of the target, and from a three-dimensional mesh of the target, and from an estimation of the pose of the target, determining a set of projecting edges of the mesh of the target in the pose. The step of determining the projecting edges of the mesh of the target includes positioning the mesh of the target according to the pose, projecting in two dimensions the mesh so positioned, scanning the projection of the mesh in a plurality of scanning rows and, for each scanning row: defining a set of segments, each segment corresponding to the intersection of a face of the mesh with the scanning row and being defined by its ends, analyzing the relative depths of the ends of the segments, the depth being the position along a third dimension orthogonal to the two dimensions of the projection, in order to select a set of end points of segments corresponding to projecting edges of the mesh.

Abstract: A method for acquiring images of the surface of the earth, installing an aerial platform in a quasi-stationary position, equipped with an image acquisition system with a large field of view and a second, high-resolution, image acquisition system is disclosed. The method includes implementing successive observation cycles, each one including the acquisition of an image of a zone of interest by the first system, the partitioning of the image thus acquired into mesh units which each correspond to a sector of the zone of interest, the analysis of the image in order to detect the potential presence of unwanted marks, and the acquisition of an image by the second system for the mesh units for which no unwanted marks have been detected. Observation cycles are thereby implemented until images of the entire zone of interest have been acquired by the second system.

Abstract: A method for transmitting, by a terminal, a message destined for a receiver station of a wireless communication system. The message being transmitted on a shared channel on which the transmission of messages is performed at the start of predetermined time intervals, termed slots. Data to be included in the message to be transmitted is encoded. The encoded data is distributed between Nb sub-messages of the message to be transmitted, Nb being an integer number greater than or equal to two. A slot is selected for transmitting the message. Nb transmission frequencies are selected, each respectively associated with the Nb sub-messages of the message. The message is transmitted at the start of the selected slot, by successively transmitting the sub-messages on their respective associated transmission frequencies.

Abstract: A method (50) for estimating a frequency shift and a frequency drift affecting a useful signal including a code word formed by a channel encoder, including an analysis phase (51) including: for two analysis frequency drifts: a compensation (52) of the analysis frequency drift on the useful signal, an estimation (53) of the frequency shift on each useful signal obtained after compensation, a selection (54) of frequency hypotheses, and an estimation phase (55) including: for each frequency hypothesis: a frequency recalibration (56) of the useful signal depending on the frequency hypothesis, in order to obtain sample sequences, an evaluation (57) of the probability of each sample sequence to be a code word of said channel encoder, an estimation (58) of the frequency shift and of the frequency drift depending on the most probable frequency hypothesis.