Satellite operating system, architecture, testing and radio communication system

• US 9,673,889 B2
• Filed: 10/15/2014
• Issued: 06/06/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 10/15/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Spire Global Subsidiary, Inc. (Spire Global, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Spire Global, Inc.
• Inventors: Platzer, Peter, Trutna, Jesse, Cappaert, Jeroen, Spark, Joel
• Primary Examiner(s): Ferris, Derrick
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, KEVIN H
• Application Number:
  US14/515,142
• Publication Number:
  US 20160112117A1
• Time in Patent Office: 965 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/195 Non-synchronous stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition

Abstract

A cubesat communication system implementing addressable data packet for transmitting information collected by the cubesat to one or more receive-only ground stations. The cubesat may transmit information to the receive-only ground stations according to a scheduler. The receive-only ground stations may receive information from the cubesat without sending any commands to the cubesat to prompt transmission and re-transmit to a central common station using a bent pipe streaming protocol. Information between the cubesat and the ground station may be transmitted via a connectionless, datagram network protocol.

Claims

1. A launch capable cubesat for placement in low earth orbit, comprising:

a computer processor programmed to establish communications with (i) orbiting satellites that comprise a satellite network, and (ii) ground stations configured to receive transmissions from said cubesats, wherein the processor is configured to;

divide information for transmission into first data and second data,

determine a first destination address representative of a first receive-only ground station for receiving the first data, wherein the first ground station includes a first clock and a first program schedule for receiving incoming transmission, and

determine a second destination address representative of a second receive-only ground station for receiving the second data, wherein the second ground station includes a second clock and a second program schedule for receiving incoming transmission,

wherein the first clock and the second clock are synchronized with a clock of the cubesat;

a sensor for obtaining the information to be transmitted;

a memory for local storage of the first program schedule of the first ground station, the second program schedule of the second ground station, said information to be transmitted and software instructions for controlling said processor; and

a wireless transmitter, responsive to said processor to transmit the first data to the first destination address according to the first program schedule for further transmission to a central command center and transmit the second data to the second destination address according to the second program schedule for further transmission to the central command center.

2. The cubesat of claim 1, further comprising a wireless receiver for collecting incoming transmissions from (i) satellites with said network, or (ii) ground stations.

3. The cubesat of claim 2, wherein said ground stations are configured to apply a bent pipe protocol.

4. The cubesat of claim 2, wherein each ground station includes a software-defined radio (SDR).

5. The cubesat of claim 1, wherein the first data and the second data are formed of data packets and are transmitted using a datagram network protocol.

6. The cubesat of claim 1, wherein the processor includes a scheduler that initiates transmissions on scheduled intervals.

7. The cubesat of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter capable of sending transmissions utilizing a communication protocol with an extended address space for identifying an individual cubesat.

8. The cubesat of claim 1, wherein the transmitter is an SDR transmitter.

9. The cubesat of claim 1, wherein the first data and the second data are transmitted via a connectionless, datagram network protocol.

10. The cubesat of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the first data and the second data at the same time.

11. The cubesat of claim 1, wherein the transmitter transmits the first data and the second data according to a file transfer protocol.

12. The cubesat of claim 1, wherein the first ground station transmits the first data to the central command center after receiving the first data from the transmitter, and the second ground station transmits the second data to the central command center after receiving the second data from the transmitter.

13. The cubesat of claim 1, wherein the information being divided is an image file.

14. A method of transmitting information from an orbit satellite communication system to a ground station, comprising:

detecting information by a sensor of an orbit satellite;

dividing, by a processor, the detected information into a plurality of data packets, including a first data packet and a second data packet;

determining a first destination address uniquely identifying a first receive-only ground station for receiving the first data packet, wherein the orbit satellite has a first transmission link with the first ground station, wherein the first ground station includes a first clock and a first program schedule for receiving incoming transmission;

determining a second destination address uniquely identifying a second receive-only ground station for receiving the second data packet, wherein the orbit satellite has a second transmission link with the second ground station, wherein the second ground station includes a second clock and a second program schedule for receiving incoming transmission, wherein the first clock and the second clock are synchronized with a clock of the cubesat;

transmitting the first data packet to the first destination address according to the first program schedule via the first transmission link for further transmission to a central command center; and

transmitting the second data packet to the second destination address according to the second program schedule via the second transmission link for further transmission to the central command center.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first ground station transmits the first data packet to the central command center after receiving the first data packet from the transmitter, and the second ground station transmits the second data packet to the central command center after receiving the second data packet from the transmitter.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein transmission of the first data packet to the first destination address takes place at the same time as transmission of the second data packet to the second destination address.

17. A launch capable cubesat for placement in low earth orbit, comprising:

a computer processor programmed to establish communications with (i) orbiting satellites that comprise a satellite network, and (ii) ground stations configured to receive transmissions from said cubesat, wherein the processor is configured to;

divide information for transmission into first data and second data,

determine a first destination address representative of a first ground station for receiving the first data, and

determine a second destination address representative of a second ground station for receiving the second data;

a sensor for obtaining the information to be transmitted;

a memory for local storage of said information to be transmitted and software instructions for controlling said processor; and

a wireless transmitter, responsive to said processor to transmit the first data to the first destination address for further transmission to a central command center and transmit the second data to the second destination address for further transmission to the central command center, wherein the ground stations and the central command center form a secure dedicated private network, and the ground stations perform batch transmission to the central command center each time when logging into the dedicated private network.