US 12,420,957 B1
Starshade
George Richard Rossi, East Palo Alto, CA (US)
Assigned to Lockheed Martin Corporation, Bethesda, MD (US)
Filed by LOCKHEED MARTIN CORPORATION, Bethesda, MD (US)
Filed on May 4, 2022, as Appl. No. 17/736,862.
Int. Cl. B64G 1/22 (2006.01); B64G 1/10 (2006.01)
CPC B64G 1/222 (2013.01) [B64G 1/1057 (2023.08)] 11 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A starshade, comprising:
a circular base;
a plurality of opaque petals pivotably coupled to a perimeter of the circular base;
an actuator coupled to the plurality of opaque petals and configured to pivot the plurality of opaque petals radially outward from a center axis of the circular base;
a plurality of spherically mounted retroreflectors mounted on distal ends of respective ones of the plurality of opaque petals; and
a laser tracker coupled to the circular base and configured to determine relative positions of the plurality of spherically mounted retroreflectors.