US 11,981,458 B2
Separation system for a satellite
Peter Schwarz, Salzburg (AT); Johannes Gruber, Salzburg (AT); and Peter Wimmer, Pfarrwerfen (AT)
Assigned to EXOLAUNCH GmbH, Berlin (DE)
Appl. No. 17/631,193
Filed by EXOLAUNCH GmbH, Berlin (DE)
PCT Filed Nov. 7, 2019, PCT No. PCT/EP2019/080619
§ 371(c)(1), (2) Date Jan. 28, 2022,
PCT Pub. No. WO2021/089167, PCT Pub. Date May 14, 2021.
Prior Publication US 2022/0258886 A1, Aug. 18, 2022
Int. Cl. B64G 1/64 (2006.01)
CPC B64G 1/641 (2013.01) [B64G 1/645 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A separation system that dispenses a satellite from a launch vehicle along a dispensing axis, the separation system comprising:
a first ring for mounting to the launch vehicle;
a second ring for mounting to the satellite;
a holding mechanism interconnecting the first ring and the second ring in a holding position, wherein the holding mechanism includes a coupling pin affixed to the second ring and a coupling pin holding device affixed to the first ring, wherein the coupling pin holding device is operable to releasably hold the coupling pin;
a lever deployment mechanism exerting a separating force on the first and the second ring during a deployment process, wherein an initial magnitude of the separating force is less than a maximum magnitude of the separating force during the deployment process, such that the separating force increases during at least a portion of the deployment process; and
an actuating ring release mechanism that initiates the deployment process by actuating the coupling pin holding device to release the coupling pin.