US 12,434,864 B2
Systems and methods for automated transmission of satellite commands in an optimized satellite commanding queue
John Guiney, Chandler, AZ (US); Chris Winkelmann, Reston, VA (US); Peter Papadopoulos, Washington, DC (US); Kent Mitterer, McLean, VA (US); and Hank Tseu, Ellicott City, MD (US)
Assigned to NETWORK ACCESS ASSOCIATES LIMITED, London (GB)
Filed by Network Access Associates Limited, London (GB)
Filed on Jan. 10, 2023, as Appl. No. 18/152,359.
Application 18/152,359 is a continuation of application No. 18/152,273, filed on Jan. 10, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0253827 A1, Aug. 1, 2024
Int. Cl. B64G 3/00 (2006.01); B64G 1/24 (2006.01); G06F 3/0484 (2022.01); G06Q 10/0631 (2023.01)
CPC B64G 3/00 (2013.01) [B64G 1/24 (2013.01); G06F 3/0484 (2013.01); G06Q 10/06316 (2013.01)] 20 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A method comprising:
receiving, by a satellite operations center (SOC) in a fleet operations ground segment, a plurality of satellite commanding workflows associated with a plurality of satellites in a fleet of satellites;
wherein each satellite commanding workflow of the plurality of satellite commanding workflows comprises a series of tasks configured to trigger at least one fleet operations ground segment element of the fleet operations ground segment to generate at least one satellite command to at least one satellite of the plurality of satellites;
wherein the at least one satellite command to the at least one satellite is configured to cause at least one change in at least one of the satellite payload or the satellite bus; and
accessing, by the SOC, satellite orbital data for the fleet of satellites;
wherein the satellite orbital data comprises at least one of:
a position of each satellite,
a trajectory of each satellite, or
an orbit schedule of each satellite;
determining, by the SOC, at least one contact window associated with the plurality of satellites based at least in part on the satellite orbital data;
wherein the at least one contact window defines at least one period of time during which each satellite of the plurality of satellites has line-of-sight with at least one satellite communication infrastructure associated with the SOC;
determining, by the SOC, a command order defining an order of plurality of satellite commanding workflows based at least in part on the at least one contact window;
appending, by the SOC, each satellite commanding workflow of the plurality of satellite commanding workflows to a satellite command queue according to the command order; and
automatically instructing, by the SOC, upon the at least one contact window commencing, the at least one satellite communication infrastructure to access each successive satellite commanding workflow in the satellite command queue according to the command order;
wherein each successive satellite commanding workflow is configured to cause the at least one satellite communication infrastructure to perform the series of tasks of each satellite commanding workflow so as to transmit the at least one satellite command to the at least one satellite during the at least one contact window.