Wafer-Scale Satellite with Integrated Propulsion and Attitude Control

Satellite buses serve as the backbone for all satellite technology, providing important services like power and communication handling to the payload. Traditionally, they have been made using holistic manufacturing techniques that limit flexibility and increase complexity when configuring for different mission requirements. Current approaches for satellite bus manufacturing struggle to efficiently integrate various functions without adding to the bulk and complexity of the setup. Furthermore, once a satellite bus has been constructed, incorporating additional mission-specific functions often necessitates extensive, time-consuming, and costly redesign and reassembly.

Technology Description

The disclosed technology details a wafer-scale satellite bus constructed of a stacked array of functional diced circuits. The circuits are first produced according to a universal wafer design that includes electrical and power interconnects. Each of these wafers is then further processed using subsystem-specific techniques to deliver a range of functions like ground-based communications, propulsion control, fuel tanks, thrusters, and power generation. These different circuits are assembled into a single stack by using techniques such as wafer bonding. Surface components are mounted, and the circuitry is diced to create the final satellite. What sets this technology apart is its ability to incorporate mission-specific functions at any stage of assembly. These functions may be added by surface mounting onto the bus or through on-wafer circuitry or instrument packages designed to perform these functions. This method allows significant flexibility in implementation and minimizes the need for extensive modifications when tailoring the satellite bus for specific applications.