Patent ID: 11878820
Assignee: SPACE EXPLORATION TECHNOLOGIES CORP.
Field: Transport (Mechanical engineering)
Classification: CPC B | IPC B

Claim 21:
22. A method for securing spacecraft to a rocket and deploying the spacecraft into orbit, comprising:
arranging a stack of spacecraft on a rocket, with each layer of the stack defined by at least one spacecraft and with each spacecraft being releasably mated with at least one spacecraft in an adjacent layer;
securing a first end of a tension rod to the rocket and securing a second end of the tension rod to the stack, wherein the tension rod simultaneously secures the layers of the stack together and secures the stack to the rocket;
launching the rocket until it attains an orbit associated with an orbital velocity; and
releasing, as the rocket is in the orbit, the entire stack from the rocket to allow the layers of the stack to passively separate.