Patent ID: 6219617
Filing Date: 2001-04-17
Classification: B64G,G01S,H04B

Abstract:
A method for determining the orbital positions of satellites arranged in ring constellations within satellite formations, comprising the steps of:designating a first satellite formation from two or more ring constellations,designating one satellite from said first satellite formation as a first satellite formation master satellite,periodically bringing said first satellite formation master satellite into bidirectional communication with a ground station,bringing said first satellite formation master satellite into bidirectional communications with the other satellites of said first satellite formation by means of interruption-free optical inter-satellite links,designating a second satellite formation from two or more ring constellations wherein at least one of the satellites in said second satellite formation is also a member of said first satellite formation,designating one satellite from said second satellite formation as a second satellite formation master satellite and periodically bringing said second satellite formation master satellite into bidirectional communication with a ground station,bringing the satellites in said second satellite formation into bidirectional communications with other satellites of said second satellite formation by means of interruption-free optical inter-satellite links,using said at least one satellite within both said first and second satellite formations to establish interruption-free optical inter-satellite links between said first and second satellite formations, and,using said optical inter-satellite links to allow either said first or second satellite formation master satellite to collect informational data from other satellites in said first and second satellite formations to share with said ground station in order to determine desired orbital positions for satellites in said first and second satellite formations.