Granted Patent B2

US 12,630,307 · App. 17/912,065 · Granted May 19, 2026

Inventor: Hisayuki Mukae (Tokyo, JP)

Assignee: MITSUBISHI ELECTRIC CORPORATION

B64G1/1085B64G1/2429B64G3/00B64G1/2427

Abstract

Claims (79)

1 . A space traffic management method of ensuring flight safety, comprising:

connecting space traffic management devices individually mounted in business devices with each other via a communication line, the business devices including a mega-constellation business device which manages a mega-constellation consisting of 100 or more satellites, and a first business device and a second business device which manage a space object;

specifying, by a space traffic management device mounted in the mega-constellation business device, a representative satellite, which is a satellite selected from a mega-constellation satellite group flying on orbits having a same nominal orbital altitude;

storing, in the space traffic management device in the mega-constellation business device, quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite and orbital information relative values of constituent satellites other than the representative satellite, relative to the representative satellite;

sharing, by the space traffic management device in the mega-constellation business device, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite and the orbital information relative values of the constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, with the space traffic management device mounted in the second business device;

recording, in the second business device, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite, the orbital information relative values of the constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, and information of the space object, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information and the orbital information relative values being acquired from the space traffic management device mounted in the mega-constellation business device, the information of the space object being acquired from the space traffic management device mounted in the first business device, wherein the second business device includes a danger analysis device and a danger avoidance action assist device;

deriving, by the danger analysis device, collision avoidance information including a timing or a condition at which or under which collision does not occur with any one of satellites included in the mega-constellation satellite group;

notifying, by the danger avoidance action assist device, the first business device of the collision avoidance information, and

controlling at least one of the satellites in the mega-constellation based on the collision avoidance information.

2 . The space traffic management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the mega-constellation business device includes a plurality of mega-constellation business devices each of which manages a mega-constellation,

wherein the first business device is a space object business device of an unsteady-operation space object,

wherein the second business device is a collision avoidance assist business device,

wherein the collision avoidance assist business device

records the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite, the orbital information relative values of constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, and planned orbital information being information of the space object, to the space information recorder, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information and the orbital information relative values being acquired from the space traffic management devices mounted in individual ones of the plurality of mega-constellation business devices, the planned orbital information being acquired from the space traffic management device mounted in the space object business device,

wherein the danger analysis device

derives, as the collision avoidance information, a timing and an orbital condition at which and under which collision does not occur with any one of the satellites included in the mega-constellation satellite group, and

wherein the danger avoidance action assist device

notifies the space object business device of the timing and the orbital condition.

3 . The space traffic management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the mega-constellation business device includes a plurality of mega-constellation business devices each of which manages a mega-constellation,

wherein first business device is a rocket launch business device,

wherein the second business device is a rocket launch assist business device which assists rocket launch,

wherein the rocket launch assist business device

records the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite, the orbital information relative values of the constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, and rocket launch plan orbital information being information of the space object, to the space information recorder, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information and the orbital information relative values being acquired from the space traffic management devices mounted in individual ones of the plurality of mega-constellation business devices, the rocket launch plan orbital information being acquired from the space traffic management device mounted in the rocket launch business device,

wherein the danger analysis device

derives, as the collision avoidance information, a rocket launch timing at which collision does not occur with any one of the satellites included in the mega-constellation satellite group, and

wherein the danger avoidance action assist device notifies the rocket launch business device of the rocket launch timing.

4 . The space traffic management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the mega-constellation business device includes a plurality of mega-constellation business devices each of which manages a mega-constellation,

wherein the first business device is a space object management business device for deorbiting in an orbital descent process,

wherein the second business device is a collision avoidance assist business device,

wherein the collision avoidance assist business device

records the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite, the orbital information relative values of the constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, and planned orbital information of the space object, being information of the space object, during an orbital descent process, to the space information recorder, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information and the orbital information relative values being acquired from space traffic management devices mounted in individual ones of the plurality of mega-constellation business devices, the planned orbital information being acquired from the space traffic management device mounted in the space object management business device,

wherein the danger analysis device

derives, as the collision avoidance information, a timing and an orbital condition at which and under which collision does not occur with any one of the satellites included in the mega-constellation satellite group, and

wherein the danger avoidance action assist device

notifies the space object management business device of the timing and the orbital condition.

5 . The space traffic management method according to claim 1 ,

wherein the first business device is a space object management business device or a debris removal business device, the space object management business device being capable of performing active orbital descent operation and being for an orbital descent process,

wherein the second business device is a space situational awareness business device which runs a space situational awareness business, or a collision avoidance assist business device,

wherein the space situational awareness business device or the collision avoidance assist business device records the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite, the orbital information relative values of the constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, and orbital-descent planned orbital information of a space object debris removal satellite, being information of the space object, or of a debris removal satellite, to the space information recorder, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information and the orbital information relative values being acquired from the space traffic management device mounted in the mega-constellation business device, the orbital-descent planned orbital information being acquired from the space traffic management device mounted in the space object management business device or the debris removal business device,

wherein the danger analysis device

derives, as the collision avoidance information, a timing and an orbital condition at which and under which collision does not occur with any one of the satellites constituting the mega-constellation satellite group, and

wherein the danger avoidance action assist device

notifies the space object management business device or the debris removal business device of the timing and the orbital condition.

6 . The collision avoidance assist business device employed in the space traffic management method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the collision avoidance assist business device is a rocket launch assist device, a space situational awareness business device, a space management device such as a space port, or a business device that supervises space traffic management, and ensures flight safety by the space traffic management method according to claim 2 .

7 . The space object business device of an unsteady-operation space object, employed in the space traffic management method according to claim 2 ,

wherein the space object business device is a satellite business device for an orbital descent process, a debris removal satellite for an orbital descent process, or a rocket launch business operator, and ensures flight safety by the space traffic management method according to claim 2 .

8 . A mega-constellation business device which ensures flight safety by the space traffic management method according to claim 2 .

9 . A rocket launch assist business device which ensures flight safety by the space traffic management method according to claim 3 .

10 . A collision avoidance assist business device which ensures flight safety by the space traffic management method according to claim 4 .

11 . A space situational awareness business device which ensures flight safety by the space traffic management method according to claim 5 .

12 . A debris removal business device which ensures flight safety by the space traffic management method according to claim 4 .

13 . A rocket launch business device which ensures flight safety by the space traffic management method according to claim 3 .

14 . An OADR (Open Architecture Data Repository) which discloses orbital information of a space object,

wherein the OADR comprises the collision avoidance assist business device according to claim 10 .

15 . An OADR (Open Architecture Data Repository) which comprises a database to store orbital information of a space object, and a server, and discloses the orbital information of the space object,

wherein the database includes a first database to store public information and a second database to store non-public information,

wherein the server

acquires space object information including non-public information from all or some of business devices which are: a space traffic management device to manage space traffic; a space situational awareness business device to monitor a space situation; a collision avoidance assist business device to assist avoidance of collision of a space object in space; a mega-constellation business device to manage a mega-constellation; and a debris removal business device to assist debris removal, and stores the acquired space object information to the second database,

generates conditional public information restricting a publication target and a publication content and stores the generated information to the first database, and

transmits the conditional public information only to a particular business device among the space situational awareness business device, the collision avoidance assist business device, the mega-constellation business device, the debris removal business device, and a space insurance business device which deals with a space insurance, and

wherein the OADR mediates implementation of the space traffic management method according to claim 1 .

16 . An OADR (Open Architecture Data Repository) which comprises the collision avoidance assist business device according to claim 10 and discloses orbital information of a space object,

wherein a database provided to the collision avoidance assist business device comprises a first database to store public information and a second database to store non-public information, and

wherein a server provided to the collision avoidance assist business device

acquires space object information including non-public information from all or some of business devices which are: a space traffic management device to manage space traffic; a space situational awareness business device to monitor a space situation; another collision avoidance assist business device which is other than a collision avoidance assist business device of an own OADR; a mega-constellation business device to manage a mega-constellation; a debris removal business device to assist debris removal; and a space object business device to manage a particular space object, and stores the acquired space object information to the second database,

generates conditional public information restricting a publication target and a publication content and stores the generated information to the first database, and

transmits the conditional public information only to a particular business device among the space situational awareness business device, said another collision avoidance assist business device, the mega-constellation business device, the debris removal business device, the space object business device, and a space insurance business device which deals with a space insurance.

17 . A space traffic management method of ensuring flight safety, comprising:

connecting space traffic management devices individually mounted in business devices with each other via a communication line, the business devices including a mega-constellation business device to manage a mega-constellation consisting of 100 or more satellites, and a debris removal business device to manage a debris removal satellite, or a rocket launch business device;

specifying, by a space traffic management device mounted in the mega-constellation business device, a representative satellite, which is a satellite selected from a mega-constellation satellite group flying on orbits having a same nominal orbital altitude;

storing, in the space traffic management device mounted in the mega-constellation business device, quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite, and orbital information relative values of constituent satellites other than the representative satellite, relative to the representative satellite;

sharing, by the space traffic management device mounted in the mega-constellation business device, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite and the orbital information relative values of the constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, with the space traffic management device mounted in the debris removal business device or the rocket launch business device;

recording, by the space information recorder in the debris removal business device or the rocket launch business device, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information of the representative satellite, the orbital information relative values of the constituent satellites relative to the representative satellite, and orbital-descent planned orbital information of a debris removal satellite, or planned orbital information for rocket launch, the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information and the orbital information relative values being acquired from the space traffic management device mounted in the mega-constellation business device;

deriving, by the danger analysis device, a timing and an orbital condition at which and under which collision does not occur with any one of satellites included in the mega-constellation satellite group; and

controlling at least one of the satellites in the mega-constellation based on the quasi-real-time high-accuracy orbital information.

Assignments (1)

Priority Claims (1)

Continuity (1)

References Cited (10)