US 11,685,554 B2
Spacecraft servicing devices and related assemblies, systems, and methods
James Garret Nicholson, Broadlands, VA (US); Daniel Carl Treachler, Leesburg, VA (US); Oliver Benjamin Ortiz, Beltsville, MD (US); James Dulin Reavill, Irving, TX (US); Benjamin Michael Hekman, Percellville, VA (US); Robert Bryan Sullivan, Chantilly, VA (US); Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Reston, VA (US); Mark Lieberbaum, Arlington, VA (US); Michael Joseph Glogowski, Leesburg, VA (US); William A. Llorens, Herndon, VA (US); Kenneth Siu-Kin Chow, Great Falls, VA (US); and Peter Michael Cipollo, Arlington, VA (US)
Assigned to Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Falls Church, VA (US)
Filed by Northrop Grumman Systems Corporation, Plymouth, MN (US)
Filed on Nov. 30, 2020, as Appl. No. 17/107,095.
Application 17/107,095 is a continuation of application No. 16/041,709, filed on Jul. 20, 2018, granted, now 10,850,869.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/535,747, filed on Jul. 21, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2021/0253277 A1, Aug. 19, 2021
Int. Cl. B64G 1/10 (2006.01); B64G 1/40 (2006.01); B64G 1/64 (2006.01); B64G 1/00 (2006.01)
CPC B64G 1/1078 (2013.01) [B64G 1/007 (2013.01); B64G 1/40 (2013.01); B64G 1/402 (2013.01); B64G 1/646 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A spacecraft servicing device, comprising:
a spacecraft body;
a boom arm rotatably coupled to the spacecraft servicing device; and
a thruster assembly coupled to a distal portion of the boom arm, the thruster assembly configured to alter at least one of an orbit, a velocity, or a momentum of a target spacecraft when the spacecraft servicing device is engaged with the target spacecraft, the thruster assembly comprising at least one thruster, the boom arm configured to alter the orientation of the thruster assembly relative to the spacecraft body as the boom arm is rotated about the spacecraft body, wherein the boom arm is coupled to the spacecraft body at a rotatable coupling positioned adjacent to a docking feature of the spacecraft body for coupling the spacecraft servicing device to the target spacecraft.