Spacecraft for deploying objects into selected flight paths

Claim 1

A spacecraft for deploying objects into selected flight paths, comprising: a pair of deployment vehicles each having a longitudinal axis, a main propulsion thruster and pitch, roll, and yaw thrusters for propelling the vehicle along and orienting the vehicle about axes transverse to said longitudinal axis, a pair of diametrically opposed sector-shaped platforms in a plane normal to said longitudinal axis, deployment means on said platforms for mounting and deploying a number of said objects, and control means for actuating said thrusters and deployment means; and means for releasably joining said vehicles in assembled relation with the longitudinal axes of the vehicles aligned and with the platforms of each vehicle positioned between and in the plane of the platforms of the other vehicle such that the several platforms form a substantially circular platform shape, whereby the assembled vehicles form a compact unitary spacecraft which may be installed within a launch vehicle and launched into a selected initial flight path and thereafter said deployment vehicles may be separated and propelled upwardly and downwardly along local range insensitive axes for deployment of Objects from the vehicles along additional flight paths intersecting said axes.

Claim 5

The method of deploying objects into selected flight paths comprising the steps of: launching into a selected initial flight path a spacecraft comprising a pair of releasably joined and independently powered and controllable deployment vehicles having oppositely facing propulsion thrusters with aligned thrust axes and pitch, roll, and yaw thrusters, each vehicle mounting a number of said objects; separating said deployment vehicles in the direction of said thrust axes during travel of said spacecraft along said initial path; rotating said vehicles to align the thrust axes of their propulsion thrusters with local range insensitive axes with the propulsion thrusters facing in opposite directions along the latter axes; propelling said deployment vehicles upwardly and downwardly along said local range insensitive axes and across additional and successive flight paths; and deploying said objects from said vehicles along said latter paths.

Claim 6

The method of deploying objects into selected flight paths comprising the steps of: launching into a selected initial flight path a spacecraft comprising a pair of releasably joined and independently powered and controllable deployment vehicles having oppositely facing propulsion thrusters with aligned thrust axes and pitch, roll, and yaw thrusters, each vehicle mounting a number of said objects; separating said deployment vehicles in the direction of said thrust axes during travel of said spacecraft along said initial path; rotating said vehicles to align the thrust axes of their propulsion thrusters with local range insensitive axes with the propulsion thrusters facing in opposite directions along the latter axes; propelling said deployment vehicles upwardly and downwardly along said local range insensitive axes and across additional and successive flight paths; and deploying said objects from said vehicles along said latter paths.