US 12,240,630 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); Robert Bryan Sullivan, Chantilly, VA (US); Carlos Guillermo Niederstrasser, Reston, 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, Falls Church, VA (US)
Filed on May 1, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/141,979.
Application 18/141,979 is a continuation of application No. 17/229,812, filed on Apr. 13, 2021, granted, now 11,718,420.
Application 17/229,812 is a continuation of application No. 16/041,690, filed on Jul. 20, 2018, granted, now 10,994,867, issued on May 4, 2021.
Claims priority of provisional application 62/535,747, filed on Jul. 21, 2017.
Prior Publication US 2023/0271725 A1, Aug. 31, 2023
This patent is subject to a terminal disclaimer.
Int. Cl. B64G 1/10 (2006.01); B64G 1/24 (2006.01); B64G 1/26 (2006.01); B64G 1/40 (2006.01); B64G 1/64 (2006.01)
CPC B64G 1/1078 (2013.01) [B64G 1/2427 (2023.08); B64G 1/264 (2023.08); B64G 1/40 (2013.01); B64G 1/402 (2013.01); B64G 1/646 (2013.01); B64G 1/6464 (2023.08)] 16 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A spacecraft servicing system, comprising:
a host ship;
a resupply spacecraft; and
mission extension pods each comprising at least one spacecraft servicing component and a docking mechanism, the mission extension pods collectively carried by the host ship, the host ship configured to transfer a mission extension pod of the mission extension pods to a location external to a target spacecraft where the docking mechanism of the mission extension pod engages with the target spacecraft in order to service the target spacecraft with the at least one spacecraft servicing component of the mission extension pod, the docking mechanism of the mission extension pod securing the mission extension pod to the target spacecraft, the host ship configured to retrieve at least some of the mission extension pods supplied from the resupply spacecraft at a selected orbit in space and to retain the at least some of the mission extension pods on an external portion of the host ship, wherein each of the mission extension pods comprises a thruster assembly configured to alter at least one of an orbit or a velocity of the each of the mission extension pods.