Space Tug Concepts
https://lucasgreen.ca/portfolio/space-tug-concepts/
I was hired by space startup Space Machines to create conceptual designs for their flagship vehicle, a satellite ‘space tug’. At the time I was commissioned, the spacecraft existed only as a checklist of components and dimensional specifications, so I was able to approach the design as a nearly blank canvas.
One early feature that I explored was a built-in rack for deploying cubesats.
We were also exploring circular solar panels before nixing them due to costs.
Eventually a winning form factor emerged: a tapered cylindrical clamshell protecting an unfolding solar array.
The design also featured an extensible high-gain antenna.
A major challenge was for the design was how to fit the required square footage of solar panels into a collapsable rigging that could fit within the space constraints of the rideshare payload stack.