Patents Assigned to Space
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Patent number: 11878784Abstract: An aerospace vehicle system, preferably including one or more capsules, and optionally including one or more propulsion modules and/or safety modules. A capsule, preferably including a pressure vessel including a structural frame and one or more windows, and optionally including a cabin. In alternate embodiments, the system can additionally or alternatively function as a terrestrial vehicle, a watercraft, and/or any other suitable vehicle. A method of operation, preferably including operating the aerospace vehicle system in flight, while maintaining a pressure differential between the pressure vessel interior and an environment surrounding the system.Type: GrantFiled: July 8, 2021Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Space Perspective Inc.Inventors: Rodger Farley, Jane Poynter, Taber MacCallum, Daniel James Window, Nicholas Adrian Moyes
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Patent number: 11881914Abstract: In an embodiment, an apparatus includes an antenna assembly, a modem, and a beam steering controller. A beam steering controller is configured to determine a beam pointing direction of the antenna assembly to be able to one or both of switch a first communication link with a first satellite to a second communication link with a second satellite or establish and maintain the first communication link with the first satellite. At a start of a determination of the beam pointing direction, one or more of an orientation of the antenna assembly is unknown, positions of a plurality of satellites are unknown, or downlink frequencies of the plurality of satellites are unknown.Type: GrantFiled: May 28, 2021Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.Inventor: Martin S. McCormick
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Patent number: 11881532Abstract: A stacked multi-junction solar cell with a front side contacted through the rear side and having a solar cell stack having a Ge substrate layer, a Ge subcell, and at least two III-V subcells, with a through contact opening, a front terminal contact, a rear terminal contact, an antireflection layer formed on a part of the front side of the multi-junction solar cell, a dielectric insulating layer, and a contact layer. The dielectric insulating layer covers the antireflection layer, an edge region of a top of the front terminal contact, a lateral surface of the through contact opening, and a region of the rear side of the solar cell stack adjacent to the through contact opening. The contact layer from a region of the top of the front terminal contact that is not covered by the dielectric insulating layer through the through contact opening to the rear side.Type: GrantFiled: November 23, 2020Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: AZUR SPACE Solar Power GmbHInventors: Wolfgang Koestler, Alexander Frey
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Patent number: 11878949Abstract: An advanced high temperature environmental barrier coating system is disclosed for protecting Si-based ceramics and SiC/SiC ceramic matrix composites (CMCs). This innovation provides a series of environmental barrier coating composition systems to achieve exceptional temperature capability, erosion and calcium-magnesium-aluminosilicate (CMAS) resistance and durability of the environmental barrier coated ceramic turbine engine hot-section components, in harsh turbine engine environments. The environmental barrier coating systems have been demonstrated for 1650° C. temperature capability and help prime-reliant designs.Type: GrantFiled: January 29, 2018Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationInventors: Dongming Zhu, Bryan J. Harder, Janet B. Hurst
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Patent number: 11878820Abstract: A method of releasing spacecraft from a rocket includes arranging spacecraft in a stack on a rocket, launching the rocket until it attains orbital velocity, imposing a flat spin on the rocket, and releasing the entire stack from the rocket during the flat spin. In one aspect, the method includes applying a compressive load along a length of the stack, launching the rocket until it attains orbital velocity, imposing a flat spin on the rocket, and releasing the compressive load to allow the entire stack to separate from the rocket during the flat spin.Type: GrantFiled: May 10, 2020Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.Inventors: Andrew C. Thompson, Patrick Sodt, Thomas Tarlton, Robert S. Tarlton, Solomon Westerman, Michael Dergance
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Patent number: 11879414Abstract: Various embodiments of a vortex hybrid motor system are described herein. In some embodiments, the vortex hybrid motor system can include a control system, a vortex hybrid motor, and an oxidizer injector. The oxidizer injector can be in fluid communication with a combustion zone defined by a fuel core and/or housing of the vortex hybrid motor. In some embodiments, at least one material regression sensor can be positioned along the fuel core and sensed data from the material regression sensors can be provided to the control system for determining one or more characteristics associated with the fuel core. The control system can control, based on the analyzed sensed data, the oxidizer injector for modulating an oxidizer flow rate delivered to the combustion zone to achieve a desired oxidizer-to-fuel ratio.Type: GrantFiled: April 12, 2022Date of Patent: January 23, 2024Assignee: Sierra Space CorporationInventors: Brian Richard Pomeroy, Martin Chiaverini, Jesse Morgan Warrick
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Publication number: 20240017487Abstract: A three-dimensional print head apparatus including a hopper, a nozzle, a barrel, and a heating system. The apparatus may further include a fume extraction system and a dry air purge system. The hopper may have a cavity and a lower aperture. The nozzle may have an upper aperture and a lower aperture. The heating system may be positioned along the barrel, and the dry air purge system may be in fluid communication with the hopper.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 24, 2023Publication date: January 18, 2024Applicant: Sidus Space, Inc.Inventors: Ivan Townsend, Robert Mueller, Nathan Gelino, Jonathan Smith, Matthew Nugent, Andrew Nick, Jason Schuler, Bradley Buckles
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Publication number: 20240017488Abstract: A three-dimensional print head apparatus comprising a hopper, a nozzle, a barrel, a heating system, a fume extraction system, a dry air purge system, and an agitator. The hopper may having a cavity and may have a lower aperture. The nozzle may have an upper aperture and may have a lower aperture. The heating system may be positioned along at least a portion of the barrel, which may defined a heated zone of the barrel. The dry air purge system may be in fluid communication with the hopper. The agitator may have at least one paddle.Type: ApplicationFiled: September 26, 2023Publication date: January 18, 2024Applicant: Sidus Space, Inc.Inventors: Ivan Townsend, Robert Mueller, Nathan Gelino, Jonathan Smith, Matthew Nugent, Andrew Nick, Jason Schuler, Bradley Buckles
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Publication number: 20240017340Abstract: Systems and methods for wire arc additive manufacturing systems that print in horizontal orientations are described. Horizontal WAAM 3D print systems comprise metal 3D print systems in a horizontal orientation with one or more robots operating concurrently on a work piece using one or more wire feeds and a rotating, horizontal build plate.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2023Publication date: January 18, 2024Applicant: Relativity Space, Inc.Inventors: Kristopher Konrath, Steven Webb, Jeffrey Campbell, Matthew Swift, Twain Glaser, Jeremy Mika, Fritz Gruber, Justin Gray, John Cummings, Bryan Watson, Johann Freeberg, Edward Cottiss, Saeed Hashemi, Shivam Desai, Ellis Sansone, Hudhaifa Jasim, Rocco DiVerdi, Lan Pham, Alyssa Ishigo, Nazareth Ekmekjian, Frederick William Ambrose, Alex Kanghyun Lee, Timothy David Child
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Publication number: 20240017490Abstract: A machinable 3-D printing build plate that can be assembled from a number of different components into the base for a metallic 3-D printing volume and other 3-D printed parts. The build plate can be assembled into a final structure then machined to the required planar tolerance such that the build quality of the part is maintained throughout the build. Additionally, because the baseline printer support structure and support device are comprised of multiple elements, if one or more goes out of tolerance or requires adjustment to accommodate a new print, it may be easily removed, replaced then machined back to the required tolerances.Type: ApplicationFiled: July 14, 2023Publication date: January 18, 2024Applicant: Relativity Space, Inc.Inventors: Steven Webb, Kristopher Konrath, Twain Glaser, Jeffrey Campbell
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Patent number: 11873590Abstract: A triaxially hybrid braid reinforcement material for polymer matrix composites. The braid includes hybrid tows, which include at least one carbon fiber tow commingled with carbon nanotube yarns to introduce toughness to the hybrid tows. The hybrid tows may be arranged in any and all of the braiding directions. The braid may also include carbon fiber tows, which can be arranged in the axial direction or other braiding directions not occupied by the hybrid tows. The braid is infiltrated with resin, which is impregnated into the braid and cured, to form the toughened polymer matrix composite.Type: GrantFiled: August 21, 2020Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: United States of America as Represented by the Administrator of National Aeronautics and Space AdministrationInventor: Tiffany Williams
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Patent number: 11874948Abstract: Methods, non-transitory computer readable media, and verifier and/or prover devices or query verification apparatuses are disclosed that generate a first commitment from received data and send the received data to a prover device for insertion into a table of a database. A query result and an overall proof are received from the prover device in response to a received query forwarded to the prover device and associated with the database table. The overall proof is generated from one or more partial proofs comprising one or more commitments generated from one or more intermediate values. The query result and an indication the query result was verified are returned in response to the received query after verifying the query result based on a second commitment to the query result generated using the first commitment and the overall proof.Type: GrantFiled: December 12, 2022Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: SPACE AND TIME LABS, INC.Inventors: Jay Thomas White, Scott Edward Daly Dykstra
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Patent number: 11874432Abstract: A space optical instrument is disclosed including a primary mirror having an optical axis and including a first face, referred to as the front face, oriented towards an observed area, and a second face opposite to the first, referred to as the rear face, the optical instrument further including a thermal stabilization device for the primary mirror, comprising a thermally conductive wall extending around the optical axis (O) on the front face side of the primary mirror towards which this face is oriented. The thermal stabilization device further includes a temperature regulating device for the circumferential wall that is capable of using the measurement of an incident heat flux on the mirror, and adapting the temperature of the circumferential wall according to the measured incident heat flux, in order to keep the front face of the mirror at a constant temperature.Type: GrantFiled: March 1, 2021Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SASInventors: Didier Charvet, Sébastien Le Foll
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Patent number: 11876265Abstract: In order to improve usability of hybrid or fully electric aircraft, a fuel cell having improved efficiency and increased volume/weight specific energy density is provided. The fuel cell has a self-supporting membrane structure that is formed as a triply periodic level surface, which separates a first cavity supplied with gaseous fuel from a second cavity supplied with gaseous oxidizer in a gas-sealed manner while connecting the cavities in an ion-conductive manner.Type: GrantFiled: August 31, 2021Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: Airbus Defence and Space GmbHInventors: Kristian Zimmermann, Stephan Friedl, Christian Metzner
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Patent number: 11873121Abstract: A method for adjusting the path of a satellite to limit a risk of collision with items of debris each having a date of closest pass with the satellite is disclosed including: propagating at least one orbit from the reference path of the satellite according to at least one manoeuvre to the farthest date of closest pass; determining a probability of collision for each item of debris according to the at least one orbit; determining at least one overall probability according to the set of probabilities determined; selecting the lowest overall probability from among the at least one overall probability obtained; determining a command for the satellite including the manoeuvre associated with the lowest overall probability.Type: GrantFiled: June 10, 2021Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: AIRBUS DEFENCE AND SPACE SASInventors: Dorian Gegout, Frédéric Renaud
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Publication number: 20240013939Abstract: A modular space reactor includes a plurality of sections, each section containing a component of an assembled reactor. Each section contains contents configured to be unable to sustain a fission chain reaction as an individual section and is configured to be separately launched into space from each other section. The sections are configured for assembly in space to form the assembled reactor configured for sustaining an active fission chain reaction only when all of the sections are assembled together. In embodiments, contents of a section include at least one of fissile fuel, reactivity control devices, neutron reflectors, neutron moderators, radiation shielding mechanisms, cooling systems, power conversion systems. In embodiments, the sections are further configured for disassembly in space for being separable for at least one of refueling, decommissioning, and disposal of the system so disassembled.Type: ApplicationFiled: March 17, 2023Publication date: January 11, 2024Applicant: Atomos Nuclear and Space CorporationInventor: Lucas Brady Beveridge
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Patent number: D1010914Type: GrantFiled: December 16, 2020Date of Patent: January 9, 2024Assignee: SPACE COPENHAGEN DESIGN APSInventors: Signe Bindslev Henriksen, Peter Bundgaard Rützou
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Patent number: D1010944Type: GrantFiled: May 30, 2022Date of Patent: January 9, 2024Assignee: Zhongshan Zaomeng Space E-Commerce Co., Ltd.Inventor: Zhicheng Zhang
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Patent number: D1011324Type: GrantFiled: April 2, 2021Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: Space Exploration Technologies Corp.Inventors: Anthony Sims, Tad A. Kilbury, J. Gabriel Rustia
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Patent number: D1011589Type: GrantFiled: August 8, 2023Date of Patent: January 16, 2024Assignee: Zhongshan Image Space Home Decoration Co., Ltd.Inventor: Jing Hu
