Improved thruster solar sail spacecraft and ring spacecraft (sail setting and reefing -
This patent introduces "Roller-Reefing" to solar sailing, a technology which allows to launch or mount large solar sail (or solar cell) areas
with a solar sail spacecraft and also to use it for fuelless station keeping, steering and pointing, without having to rely on thrusters for this low performance tasks.
Mobile docking able thruster units as independant spacecraft docked in the docking station allow to give the spacecraft a boost and to refuel it by changing the docking able thruster units.
" Solarsegler-Launch-System, bestehend aus einem Launcher und einem sich selbst vergrößernden Solarsegler-Mutterschiff mit Dockingstation,
solar elektrischen Antrieben und primärer treibstoffloser Lageregelung "
Solar-Sail-Launch-System, composed of a launcher, a self deploying solar sail mothership with docking station,
solar electric thrusters and primary fuelless attitude control -
The first solar sail spacecraft design, which is self deploying and features large sail areas and a relative large docking station for
daughter units, while it employs "Roller-Reefing" for fuelless station keeping and attitude control and Double Thruster Units for additional
solar-electric-propulsion.
filed Dec./12./2005, publication Dec./10/2009
GB000002434345B
" Solar-sail-launch-system, comprising a launch vehicle and a solar sail mothership spacecraft with "roller-reefing"-ACS and solar
electric propulsion. " -
The first solar sail spacecraft design, which is self deploying and features large sail areas and a relative large docking station for
daughter units, while it employs "Roller-Reefing" for fuelless station keeping and attitude control and Double Thruster Units for additional
solar-electric-propulsion. Priority of DE102005062841B4.
filed Dec./28./2006, publication April./09/2008
US000007913953B2
" Solar-sail-launch-system and solar sail attitude control system " -
The first solar sail spacecraft design, which is self deploying and features large sail areas and a relative large docking station for
daughter units, while it employs "Roller-Reefing" for fuelless station keeping and attitude control and Double Thruster Units for additional
solar-electric-propulsion. Priority of DE102005062841B4.
filed Dec./21./2006, publication Mar./29/2011
N E W
US9150312B2
" Mobile Solar Sail Power Station and coupled solar power stations for space based power generation and transmission "
filed Jan./9/2012. publication Oct./6/2015.
The main drawing of this application is Figure 5, in this case two couped solar sail power stations carrying a transmission
unit between each other, whereby the transmission unit has it's own fuelless attitude control for pointing toward the target location.
A unique feature of this invention are the connector units, which allow to connect the power stations to the transmission unit
by simple docking operations.