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Photon Thrusters and Tethers Enable Low Cost/Ultra-High Precision Spacecraft Formations

Posted on: Monday, 15 May 2006, 18:02 CDT

TUSTIN, Calif., May 15 /PRNewswire/ -- The NASA Institute for Advanced Concepts (NIAC) has awarded Dr. Young Bae a $75,000 grant to develop a method of ultra-high precision spacecraft (satellite) formation flying utilizing Photon Thrusters and Tethers. "Tethered" or "formation flying" spacecraft have the potential to dramatically lower launch weights and station keeping costs while enabling a quantum leap in observation resolutions from space. Thus far, a solution for maintaining a precise spacecraft configuration in space has proven illusive. Dr. Bae's proprietary (patent pending) Photon Tether Formation Flight (PTFF) system is projected to accomplish this with less-than-nanometer accuracy. A descriptive illustration may be downloaded from http://www.ejwassoc.com/gallery/BAEPTFFsystem/47BaePTFF?full=1

At the NIAC Phase I Fellows meeting on March 7-8, 2006 Dr. Young Bae of the Bae Institute presented his grant winning paper (http://niac.usra.edu/files/library/meetings/fellows/mar06/1047Bae.pdf) that demonstrates how existing technologies can allow clusters of micro, nano and pico spacecraft to fly in ultra-high precision formations. PTFF minimizes spacecraft system architecture, weight and contamination-free power consumption by orders of magnitude over present monolithic space mission systems. Dr. Bae's PTFF work has also been published in the peer-reviewed journal of the American Institute of Physics Space Technology and Applications International Forum-STAIF 2006.

The core technology is a combination of a push force from photon thrusters and a pull force from Kevlar tethers for precise inter-satellite control. Photon thrusters amplify thrust tens of thousands of times through a proprietary intracavity system for bouncing photons off of mirrors between satellites. As a result, the thrust power requirement for formations of 100 kg spacecraft configurations can be reduced to several watts per pair of satellites, well within today's space power budgets. No other propellants are needed, providing mass energy savings and contaminant free operation for future space missions equipped with highly sensitive sensors.

Dr. Bae's formation flying control system is applicable to NASA and non- NASA applications for precise geophysical monitoring, environmental monitoring, mapping, imaging, surveillance, astronomical or GPS applications.

Company background:

The Bae Institute was founded in 2002 by Dr. Young K. Bae for the purpose of developing highly innovative space and medical technologies for commercial and government applications. The Bae Institute has been awarded contracts from various government organizations and commercial companies including NASA, US Air Force, and ATK/Mission Research.

Bae Institute

CONTACT: Dr. Young Bae of Bae Institute, +1-714-838-2881, orykBae@Baeinstitute.com

Web site: http://www.baeinstitute.com/http://www.ejwassoc.com/gallery/BAEPTFFsystem/47BaePTFF?full=1

Source: PRNewswire

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