Pseudo-geosynchronous configurations in satellite platforms

• US 9,960,837 B1
• Filed: 07/19/2017
• Issued: 05/01/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/19/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Lockheed Martin Corporation (Martin Marietta Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Vector Launch, Inc.
• Inventors: Coleman, Shaun, Garber, Darren D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory, Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US15/653,718
• Time in Patent Office: 286 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/60 Software deployment
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/455 Emulation; Interpretation; Software simulation, e.g. virtualisation or emulation of application or operating system execution engines
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/45558 Hypervisor-specific management and integration aspects
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18513 Transmission in a satellite or space-based system
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/18521 Systems of inter linked satellites, i.e. inter satellite service for optical links between satellites H04B10/118
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/52 specially adapted for the location of the user terminal
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/63 Routing a service request depending on the request content or context
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/40 for recovering from a failure of a protocol instance or entity, e.g. service redundancy protocols, protocol state redundancy or protocol service redirection management of faults, events, alarms or notifications in data switching networks H04L41/06

Abstract

Systems, methods, and software described herein provide enhancements for orbital satellite platform. In one example, an orbital satellite platform includes a plurality of satellite devices configured to establish a pseudo-geosynchronous window corresponding to an underlying zone of interest by at least transferring state information related to execution of a designated software payload from outgoing satellite devices leaving the pseudo-geosynchronous window for receipt by target satellite devices entering the pseudo-geosynchronous window. During orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, the target satellite devices are configured to execute the designated software payload in accordance with the state information.

Claims

1. An orbital satellite system, comprising:

a plurality of satellite devices in non-geosynchronous orbit configured to establish a pseudo-geosynchronous window corresponding to an underlying zone of interest by at least transferring state information comprising one or more task instructions related to execution of a designated software application payload from outgoing satellite devices leaving the pseudo-geosynchronous window for receipt by target satellite devices entering the pseudo-geosynchronous window; and

during orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, the target satellite devices configured to execute the designated software application payload in accordance with the state information.

2. The orbital satellite system of claim 1, comprising:

responsive to detecting exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window, the outgoing satellite devices configured to determine at least a portion of the state information, and deliver at least the portion of the state information to the target satellite devices.

3. The orbital satellite system of claim 1, comprising:

responsive to detecting entry into the pseudo-geosynchronous window, the target satellite devices configured to request at least a portion of the state information from the outgoing satellite devices.

4. The orbital satellite system of claim 1, comprising:

the plurality of satellite devices configured to determine entry into or exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window based at least on determining overhead proximity to the underlying zone of interest as defined by geographic coordinates.

5. The orbital satellite system of claim 1, comprising:

the plurality of satellite devices configured to determine entry into or exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window based at least on determining overhead proximity to an object of interest that corresponds to the underlying zone of interest.

6. The orbital satellite platform system of claim 1, comprising:

the plurality of satellite devices configured to determine entry into or exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window based at least on signal strength of communications with a ground system corresponding to the underlying zone of interest.

7. The orbital satellite system of claim 6, wherein the state information comprises routing instructions, and comprising:

during the orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, the target satellite devices configured to route communications traffic received from others of the satellite devices for delivery to the ground system; and

the others of the satellite devices configured to route the communications traffic for delivery to the target satellite devices through zero or more peer satellite devices.

8. The orbital satellite system of claim 7, wherein a subset of the plurality of satellite devices orbit in a higher orbital distance from ones of the satellite devices that pass through the pseudo-geosynchronous window, and comprising:

the subset of the plurality of satellite devices configured to route communications of the subset of the plurality of satellite devices for delivery to the ground system via the ones of the satellite devices that pass through the pseudo-geosynchronous window.

9. The orbital satellite system of claim 1, wherein the state information comprises sensor data captured by others of the satellite devices during passage through the pseudo-geosynchronous window, and comprising:

during the orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, the target satellite devices configured to capture further sensor data for incorporation into the state information.

10. A method of operating an orbital satellite system, the method comprising:

establishing a pseudo-geosynchronous window corresponding to an underlying zone of interest among satellite devices positioned in non-geosynchronous orbit by at least transferring state information comprising one or more task instructions related to execution of a designated software application payload from outgoing satellite devices leaving the pseudo-geosynchronous window for receipt by target satellite devices entering the pseudo-geosynchronous window; and

during orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, executing the designated software application payload in accordance with the state information in the target satellite devices.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to detecting exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window, in the outgoing satellite devices, determining at least a portion of the state information, and delivering at least the portion of the state information to the target satellite devices.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

responsive to detecting entry into the pseudo-geosynchronous window, in the target satellite devices, requesting at least a portion of the state information from the outgoing satellite devices.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining entry into or exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window based at least on determining overhead proximity to the underlying zone of interest as defined by geographic coordinates.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining entry into or exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window based at least on determining overhead proximity to an object of interest that corresponds to the underlying zone of interest.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

determining entry into or exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window based at least on signal strength of communications with a ground system corresponding to the underlying zone of interest.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the state information comprises routing instructions, and further comprising:

during the orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, in the target satellite devices, routing communications traffic received from others of the satellite devices for delivery to the ground system; and

in the others of the satellite devices, routing the communications traffic for delivery to the target satellite devices through zero or more peer satellites.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein a subset of the plurality of satellite devices orbit in a higher orbital distance from ones of the satellite devices that pass through the pseudo-geosynchronous window, and further comprising:

in the subset of the plurality of satellite devices, routing communications of the subset of the plurality of satellite devices for delivery to the ground system via the ones of the satellite devices that pass through the pseudo-geosynchronous window.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the state information comprises sensor data captured by others of the satellite devices during passage through the pseudo-geosynchronous window, and further comprising:

during the orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, in the target satellite devices, capturing further sensor data for incorporation into the state information.

19. An orbital satellite device for deployment into a low-earth orbit, comprising:

a positioning system configured to establish a pseudo-geosynchronous window in a non-geosynchronous orbit corresponding to an object of interest based at least on detecting overhead proximity to the object of interest;

during orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, a processing system configured to execute a task in accordance with task instructions related to the orbital passage through the pseudo-geosynchronous window; and

responsive to the positioning system detecting exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window, a communication system configured to transfer state information comprising further task instructions for delivery to at least another satellite device entering the pseudo-geosynchronous window for use in execution of a further task by the other satellite device in accordance with the state information.

20. The orbital satellite device of claim 19, wherein the instructions include network routing instructions, and comprising:

the positioning system configured to determine entry into or exit from the pseudo-geosynchronous window based at least on detected signal strength of a ground communication system corresponding to the object of interest;

during the orbital passage within the pseudo-geosynchronous window, the processing system further configured to direct the communication system to route communications traffic received from other satellite devices in accordance with the network routing instructions for delivery of at least a portion of the communications traffic to the ground communication system.