Claims:We Claim:
1. A P-series satellite system configured to enable orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establish uninterrupted a Lunar-Earth communication network, comprising:

at least one P-30 parent satellite configured to integrate with at least one CubeSat deployer, whereby the at least one CubeSat deployer comprises a plurality of miniaturized satellites and the P-30 parent satellite configured to serve as a primary spacecraft with the at least one CubeSat deployer, the plurality of miniaturized satellites comprises children CubeSats and the at least one P-30 parent satellite placed in a lunar orbit and configured to deploy or eject the children CubeSats in the lunar orbit at a plurality of locations enroute to the Moon; whereby the children CubeSats configured to form a constellation in the lunar orbit to enable communication between lunar surface assets, the earth and P30 parent satellite, the at least one P-30 parent satellite further placed in a halo orbit at the lagrangian point L2 along with spacecrafts; and

an inter-satellite link is developed using a network to enable an autonomous data transmission between the children CubeSats and the at least one P-30 parent satellite to be downlinked to one or more ground stations with a minimal latency, the at least one P-30 parent satellite configured to allow distributed correlation of the data that is then transmitted from the the children CubeSats for downlinking using the network, the at least one P-30 parent satellite configured establish a Lunar-Earth communication network and provide a real-time communication access to a lunar far side to the one or more ground stations.
2. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the at least one P-30 parent satellite comprises a transceiver module configured to provide high data rate for reliable communication on the far side of the Moon.

3. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the at least one P-30 parent satellite comprises a plurality of deployable solar panels configured to produce a peak power to a deployable antenna for the transceiver module operating at different frequencies.

4. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the at least one P-30 parent satellite comprises a propulsion module configured to provide low power field emission propulsion and maintain the at least one P-30 parent satellite in a halo orbit at the Lagrangian L2 point.

5. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the at least one P-30 parent satellite comprises reaction wheels, a star tracker, gyroscopes configured to provide spacecraft attitude stabilization using magnetorquer coils.

6. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the at least one P-30 parent satellite comprises a multi-layer insulation using a plurality of carbon nanotube panels, along with necessary surface coatings.

7. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the children CubeSats comprise a propulsion module configured to provide low power field emission electric propulsion to the children CubeSat.

8. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the children CubeSats comprise the plurality of deployable solar panels configured to generate power to the deployable antenna operating at the different frequencies.

9. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the children CubeSats comprises CubeSat structure made with an aluminum alloy.

10. The P-series satellite system of claim 1, wherein the children CubeSats comprises an energy storage device configured to collect generated power from the plurality of deployable solar panels.

11. A method for enabling orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establishing uninterrupted a Lunar-Earth communication network, comprising:

integrating at least one P30 parent satellite with at least one CubeSat deployer for orbit insertion of children CubeSats; and then the at least one P-30 parent satellite deploying or ejecting the children CubeSats in a lunar orbit at a plurality of locations enroute to the Moon;

forming a constellation in the lunar orbit by the children CubeSats to enable communication between lunar surface assets, the earth and the at least one P30 parent satellite;

placing the at least one P-30 parent satellite in a halo orbit at a lagrangian point L2 along with spacecrafts;

developing an inter-satellite link using a network to enable autonomous data transmission between the children CubeSats and the at least one P-30 parent satellite to be downlinked to one or more ground stations with a minimal latency;

allowing the at least one P-30 parent satellite for a distributed correlation of the data that is then transmitted from the the children CubeSats for downlinking using the network; and

establishing a Lunar-Earth communication network and providing a near real-time communication access to the lunar far side by the at least one P-30 parent satellite to the ground station.
, Description:TECHNICAL FIELD
[001] The disclosed subject matter relates generally to network environments. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a system and method for orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establishing an uninterrupted communication network from Moon to earth and vice versa.

BACKGROUND
[002] Generally, Moon has a huge commercial potential in terms of mining and habitats. In the earlier phases, a reliable network to communicate with earth would be vital. Spacecrafts are deployed to various locations to serve different purposes. Different methods may be employed to place the spacecrafts in desired orbits. Existing satellite-to-earth data transmission systems deliver data from earth-orbiting satellites to one or more ground stations and generally fall into categories like sending radio waves to one or more fixed ground sites via a satellite; for example, Geostationary or geosynchronous earth orbit (GEO) or sending radio waves directly to one or more ground stations when the Earth-orbiting satellite passes over the one or more ground stations. There are many factors that influence the decision regarding which orbit would be best for a satellite to use, depending on what the satellite is designed to achieve. Some of the alternatives include Low Earth orbit (LEO), Medium Earth orbit (MEO), Polar orbit and Sun-synchronous orbit (SSO), Transfer orbits and geostationary transfer orbit (GTO), Lagrange points(L-points) etc.

[003] Currently, space communication protocols like consultative committee for space data systems (CCSDS) to improve performance of internet protocols in space environments and space transponders are being used. Networking missions in space are homogenous, and require higher cost technology. Existing satellite-to-earth data transmission systems are constrained by inefficient relay schemes and/or short-duration data transfers at low data rates or direct transmission is also restricted in its capability. Lunar far side is inaccessible for the one or more ground stations. Further, a space-based communication relay system is required to transmit and receive data from systems (for example, Landers, Rovers, etc.) on the lunar far side. The pre-programmed satellites/small satellites would be established in a single mission rather than overtime thus being efficient in terms of network deployment. There is an unmet need to provide a network having critical communication capabilities for many different data transmission applications, including vital command and control functions, remote control of lunar rovers, real-time navigation and streaming of high-definition video. These communication applications are all vital to long-term human presence on the lunar surface and also need to be robust and cost-effective as well.

[004] In the light of the aforementioned discussion, there exists a need for a certain satellite system with CubeSat deployers that would overcome the above-mentioned challenges.

SUMMARY
[005] The following presents a simplified summary of the disclosure in order to provide a basic understanding of the reader. This summary is not an extensive overview of the disclosure and it does not identify key/critical elements of the invention or delineate the scope of the invention. Its sole purpose is to present some concepts disclosed herein in a simplified form as a prelude to the more detailed description that is presented later.

[006] Exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are directed towards a P-series satellite system and method for orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establishing uninterrupted network from Moon to earth and vice versa.

[007] An objective of the present disclosure is directed towards a P-series satellite system that is configured to place a P-30 parent satellite in the Earth-Moon L2 Lagrangian point along with spacecrafts in lunar orbits provides a near real-time communication access to the lunar far side.

[008] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards the P-series satellite system that provides a customizable internal configuration for the payload and additional space for a wide range of applications.

[009] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards the P-series satellite system that accommodates a 12U deployer with up to 12 CubeSats of the 1U form factor that may be deposited at a plurality of locations enroute to the Moon and establishes a Lunar-Earth communication network.

[0010] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards the P-series satellite system that comprises a high data rate transceiver for reliable communication on the far side of the Moon.

[0011] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards the P-series satellite system that develops an inter-satellite link using delay tolerant network (DTN) to enable autonomous data transmission between a child satellite and a parent satellite to be downlinked to the ground station with a minimal latency.

[0012] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards the P-series satellite system that comprises a P30 Parent spacecraft configured to allow for distributed correlation of the data that is then transmitted from the children spacecraft for downlinking to one or more ground stations with the minimal latency using the delay tolerant network.

[0013] Another objective of the present disclosure is directed towards the P-series satellite system that assists the guidance and navigation of future landers and rovers exploring the area.

[0014] According to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the P-series satellite system configured to orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establish uninterrupted a Lunar-Earth communication network, comprising: at least one P-30 parent satellite configured to integrate with at least one CubeSat deployer, the at least one CubeSat deployer comprises a plurality of miniaturized satellites and the P-30 parent satellite configured to serve as a primary spacecraft with the at least one CubeSat deployer.

[0015] According to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the plurality of miniaturized satellites comprises children CubeSats and the at least one P-30 parent satellite placed in a lunar orbit and configured to deploy or eject the children CubeSats in the lunar orbit at a plurality of locations enroute to the Moon.

[0016] According to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the children CubeSats configured to form a constellation in the lunar orbit to enable communication between lunar surface assets, the earth and P30 parent satellite, the at least one P-30 parent satellite further placed in a halo orbit at the lagrangian point L2 along with spacecrafts.

[0017] According to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, an inter-satellite link is developed using a network to enable an autonomous data transmission between the children CubeSats and the at least one P-30 parent satellite to be downlinked to one or more ground stations with a minimal latency.

[0018] According to another exemplary aspect of the present disclosure, the at least one P-30 parent satellite configured to allow distributed correlation of the data that is then transmitted from the the children CubeSats for downlinking using the network, the at least one P-30 parent satellite configured establish a Lunar-Earth communication network and provide a real-time communication access to a lunar far side to the one or more ground stations.

Brief Description of the Drawings
[0019] Other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein like reference numerals have been used to designate like elements, and wherein:

[0020] FIG. 1 is a diagram depicting a schematic representation of a P-series satellite system for orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establishing an uninterrupted communication network from Moon to earth, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0021] FIG. 2 is a diagram depicting a schematic representation of an internal configuration of a child CubeSat 120 shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a diagram depicting a schematic representation of orbit phases for establishing lunar far side tracking and communication capabilities in real-time, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0023] FIG. 4 is a diagram depicting a CubeSat constellation in the lunar orbit, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0024] FIG. 5 is a graph depicting constellation, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

[0025] FIG. 6 is a flow diagram depicting a method for orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establish uninterrupted a Lunar-Earth communication network, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments.

Detailed Description of Example Embodiments
[0026] It is to be understood that the present disclosure is not limited in its application to the details of construction and the arrangement of components set forth in the following description or illustrated in the drawings. The present disclosure is capable of other embodiments and of being practiced or of being carried out in various ways. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein is for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting.

[0027] The use of “including”, “comprising” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. The terms “a” and “an” herein do not denote a limitation of quantity, but rather denote the presence of at least one of the referenced item. Further, the use of terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and so forth, herein do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another.

[0028] Referring to FIG. 1 is a diagram 100 depicting a schematic representation of a P-series satellite system for orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establishing an uninterrupted communication network from Moon to earth, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. The miniaturized satellites may include, but not limited to, piggyback CubeSats, small satellites, and the like. The P-series satellite system 100 integrates pre-programmed satellites with a CubeSat deployer to communicate with Earth. The P-series satellite system 100 assists the guidance and navigation of future landers and rovers exploring the area. The P-series satellite system 100 may include a P-30 parent satellite 101 configured to serve as the primary spacecraft with an imaging payload. The P-series satellite system 100 may provide a customizable internal configuration for the payload and additional space than generally available on a similar CubeSat platform is unique to the P-30 parent satellite 101 and may be utilized for a wide range of applications. The P-30 parent satellite 101 may include a bus configured to provide an in-house scalable and modular clustered small satellite platform. The P-30 parent satellite 101 includes a transceiver module 102, an optical baffle 104, an IR imager 106, a propulsion module 108, reaction wheels 110, an electronic board 112, a star tracker 114, a deployable antenna 116, deployable solar panels 118, and children CubeSats 120.

[0029] The P30 parent satellite 101 may be integrated with a deployment system for orbit insertion of the children CubeSats 120. For example, deploy 1U CubeSats 120 in the lunar orbit. The children CubeSats 120 may include, but not limited to, children satellites, small satellites, Piggyback CubeSats, 1U CubeSats, miniaturized satellites, and the like. The children CubeSats 120 may be developed based on the necessary application and integrated within the P-series parent satellite 101. Establishment of such a network in a single go using the P-series parent satellite 101 and providing uninterrupted communication from the Moon to Earth. The deployment system with the children CubeSats 120 may include a 12U deployer with up to 12 CubeSats of the 1U form factor. The transceiver module 102 may be configured to provide high data rate (e.g., 10-100 Mbps) for reliable communication on the far side of the Moon. The transceiver module 102 may include, but not limited to, compatible commercial transceivers (e.g., NEN/SN/DTN transceivers), and the like. The deployable solar panels 118 may be configured to produce up to 90 W peak power. The 90 W peak power produces about radio frequency transmit power to the deployable antenna 116 for the transceiver module 102 operating at different frequencies. The different frequencies may include, but not limited to, S band with deployable antennas at 2295 MHz, X band with deployable antennas at 8420 MHz, Ka band with deployable antennas at 32000, Ku band with deployable antennas at 12220 MHz, and the like. The optical baffle 104 may be a cylindrical baffle configured to block the stray light. The infrared imager 106 may be configured to provide infrared imaging to gather information about the far side of Moon. The infrared imager 106 may include sensors, detectors, cameras, configured on the P-series parent satellite 101.
[0030] The propulsion module 108 may be configured to provide low power field emission propulsion and maintain the P-series satellite system 100 in a halo orbit at the Lagrangian L2 point. The reaction wheels 110, the star tracker 114, and gyroscopes may be configured for spacecraft attitude stabilization using magnetorquer coils. The spacecraft attitude stabilization may be an integrated 3-axis stabilization. The P-30 parent satellite 101 may include a multi-layer insulation using carbon nanotube panels 122, along with necessary surface coatings or thermal paints. The multi-layer insulation may be configured to control thermal temperatures. The internal temperature ranges may include, -10°C and +60°C, and the like. The P-30 parent satellite 101 may further include radiators configured to control temperatures locally.

[0031] In accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments, the P-30 parent satellite 101 may be placed in the lunar transfer orbit and then the P-30 parent satellite 101 may be configured to deploy or eject the children CubeSats 120 in the lunar orbit at multiple locations enroute to the Moon. The children CubeSats 120 may be configured to form a constellation in the lunar orbit to enable communication between lunar surface assets, the earth and P30 parent satellite 101. Further, the P-30 parent satellite 101 may be placed in the halo orbit at the lagrangian point L2 along with spacecrafts. An inter-satellite link may be developed using a network to enable autonomous data transmission or distributed correlation of the data between the children CubeSats 120 and the P-30 parent satellite 101 to be downlinked to a ground station with a minimal latency. The network may include, but not limited to, a delay tolerate network, a near earth network, a space network, a deep space network, and the like. The P-30 parent satellite 101 may be configured to allow for distributed correlation of the data that is then transmitted from the children CubeSats 120 for downlinking using the network. The P-30 parent satellite 101 may be configured to establish a Lunar-Earth communication network and provide a near real-time communication access to the Lunar Far Side to the ground station. The near-earth network, the deep space network, and, ISRO’s telemetry, tracking and command network may be configured to provide support to the CubeSats 120 and the parent satellite 101. The near-earth network, the deep space network, and, ISRO’s telemetry, tracking and command network may be configured to enhance receivers on ground, use of cryogenic low noise amplifiers, and test ground capabilities with future missions.
SUBSYSTEM DESCRIPTION
BUS Clustered Small satellite Platform: In-house
Scalable and modular
Electrical Power System Deployable Solar Panels: up to 85W of power production
Command and Data Handling FPGA based OBC
S- / X- / Ka- band with deployable antennas
Data rates 10 - 100 Mbps
Attitude Control Integrated 3-axis stabilization
Star trackers, Gyroscopes, Reaction wheels
Orbit Control Low power Field emission electric propulsion
Thermal Control Multi-layer insulation using Carbon nanotube panels 122, along with necessary surface coatings
Imager Infrared Imaging of the Far Side of the Lunar Surface
Table: P30 parent Satellite 101 Capabilities

[0032] Referring to FIG. 2 is a diagram 200 depicting a schematic representation of an internal configuration of a child CubeSat 120 shown in FIG. 1, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. The child CubeSat 120 may be configured to form a constellation in the lunar orbit to enable communication between lunar surface assets, the earth and P30 parent satellite. The child CubeSat 120 may include a propulsion module 208, a patch antenna 216, solar panels 218, a CubeSat external enclosure 220, flight electronics 222, and a battery pack 224. The child CubeSat 120 may include a 1U CubeSat structure made with an aluminum alloy 6061-T6. The deployable solar panels 218 may be configured to produce up to 8 W peak power. The flight electronics 222 includes the electrical power system, on board command and data handling system, and the communication system. The communication system can be configured to work in different frequencies which may include, but not limited to, S band with patch antennas data rates at 15 Mbps, and the like. The child CubeSat 120 may rely on different power sources, such as the battery pack 224, solar cells mounted on the solar panels 218, or a combination of such systems and sources for electric power. The children CubeSat 120 includes an energy storage device configured to collect generated power from the solar panels 218. The propulsion module 208 may be configured to provide low power field emission electric propulsion.
SUBSYSTEM DESCRIPTION
BUS 1U CubeSat Structure made with Aluminum alloy
Electrical Power System Deployable Solar Panels 218: up to 8W of power production
Command and Data Handling S- band with patch antennas
Data rates 10 Mbps
Attitude Control Integrated 3-axis stabilization
Star trackers, Gyroscopes, Reaction wheels
Orbit Control Low power Field emission electric propulsion
Thermal Control Multi-Layer Insulation using carbon nanotubes panels, along with silicon-based thermal transfer substrate.
Table:1U children CubeSat Capabilities

[0033] Referring to FIG. 3 is a diagram 300 depicting a schematic representation of orbit phases for establishing lunar far side tracking and communication capabilities in real-time, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. the schematic representation of orbit phases 300 includes a first phase or launch phase 302, a second phase or lunar orbit insertion phase 304, a third phase or CubeSat Ejection phase 306, and a fourth phase or Halo orbit insertion phase 308. In the first phase or launch phase 302, the P-series satellite system 100 may be launched in a broad range of predetermined orbits to provide a near real-time communication access to the lunar far side. In the second phase or lunar orbit insertion phase 304, the P-series satellite system 100 includes a P-30 parent satellite 101 inserted in a lunar orbit. In the third phase or CubeSat Ejection phase 308, the P-30 parent satellite 101 deploys or ejects CubeSats 120 1U in the lunar orbit. The CubeSat 120 1U may be configured to form a constellation in the lunar orbit to enable communication between lunar surface assets, the earth and P30 parent satellite 101. The P30 parent satellite 101 may be inserted in the Lunar Orbit (40° inclined orbit) to the Lagrangian point L2 insertion, where the requirement of Delta-V may be 776 m/s. Finally, in the fourth phase or halo orbit insertion phase 308, the P30 parent satellite 101 may be placed in a halo orbit at the Lagrangian point L2. The P30 parent satellite 101 may be configured to serve as a primary spacecraft with infrared imaging payload.

Orbit Phase Delta-V Requirement
Lunar Orbit (40° inclined
orbit) to L2 insertion 776 m/s

Station keeping in L2 132 m/s per year

[0034] The P30 parent satellite 101, may include a high data rate transceiver 101 for reliable communication on the far side of the Moon. The P30 ‘parent’ satellite 101 may be configured to allow for distributed correlation of the data that is then transmitted from the children CubeSats/piggyback CubeSats 120 for downlinking using a delay tolerant network (DTN).

[0035] Referring to FIG. 4 is a diagram 400 depicting a CubeSat constellation in the lunar orbit, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. The constellation 400 may be formed by the CubeSats 120 in the lunar orbit to enable communication between lunar surface assets, the earth and the P30 parent satellite 101. The CubeSats may include 3 1U satellites.
? Lunar Orbital parameters
a = 2000km | i = 86 deg | RAAN: 60, 90, 120 deg
? The inclination is chosen based on stability of orbit and maximum coverage.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 5 is a graph 500 depicting constellation graph, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. The constellation graph 500 depicts a ground track plot of the CubeSats in the lunar orbit, this provides a broad coverage of the lunar surface, including the far side for communication with assets on the surface.

[0037] Referring to FIG. 6 is a flow diagram 600 depicting a method for orbit insertion of miniaturized satellites and establish uninterrupted a Lunar-Earth communication network, in accordance with one or more exemplary embodiments. The method 600 may be carried out in the context of the details of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, FIG. 4, and FIG. 5. However, the method 600 may also be carried out in any desired environment. Further, the aforementioned definitions may equally apply to the description below.

[0038] The method commences at step 602, integrating the P30 parent satellite with a deployment system for orbit insertion of the CubeSats. Thereafter, at step 604, and then the P-30 parent satellite deploying or ejecting CubeSats 1U in the lunar orbit at multiple locations enroute to the Moon. Thereafter, the method continues at step 606, forming a constellation in the lunar orbit by the CubeSat to enable communication between lunar surface assets, the earth and P30 parent satellite. Thereafter, the method continues at step 608, placing the P-30 parent satellite in the halo orbit at the lagrangian point L2 along with spacecrafts. Thereafter, the method continues at step 610, developing an inter-satellite link using the delay tolerant network (DTN) to enable autonomous data transmission between the CubeSats and the P-30 parent satellite to be downlinked to the ground station with a minimal latency. Thereafter, the method continues at step 612, allowing the P-30 parent satellite for distributed correlation of the data that is then transmitted from the the CubeSats for downlinking using the delay tolerant network (DTN). Thereafter, at step 614, establishing a Lunar-Earth communication network and providing a near real-time communication access to the lunar far side by the P-30 parent satellite to the ground station.

[0039] Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment”, “an embodiment”, or similar language means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the present disclosure. Thus, appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment”, “in an embodiment” and similar language throughout this specification may, but do not necessarily, all refer to the same embodiment.

[0040] Furthermore, the described features, structures, or characteristics of the disclosure may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments. In the above description, numerous specific details are provided such as examples of programming, software modules, user selections, network transactions, database queries, database structures, hardware modules, hardware circuits, hardware chips, etc., to provide a thorough understanding of embodiments of the disclosure.

[0041] Although the present disclosure has been described in terms of certain preferred embodiments and illustrations thereof, other embodiments and modifications to preferred embodiments may be possible that are within the principles and spirit of the invention. The above descriptions and figures are therefore to be regarded as illustrative and not restrictive.

[0042] Thus the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims and includes both combinations and sub-combinations of the various features described here in above as well as variations and modifications thereof, which would occur to persons skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description.