A LOW SHOCK BALL-LOCK SEPARATION MECHANISM FOR SEPARATING UPPER STAGE AND SATELLITES FROM A SPACE LAUNCH VEHICLE

摘要

A low shock ball-lock separation mechanism for separating upper stage and satellite of a space launch vehicle is provided in this invention. The said mechanism comprises locking the interface rings by means of balls and keeping them in a locked condition by a rotatable retainer ring provided with radial holes for the release of balls during separation. The retainer ring is actuated by a pair of thrusters preferably pyrotechnic thrusters. The entire separation technique is dependent only on the actuation of anyone of the thrusters thus improving reliability. This separation mechanism will facilitate an extremely low shock while separation.