A new method for optical data transmissions from satellites using laser arrays for laser beam pointing. Combines a lens system and a vertical cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL)/Photodetector Array, both mature technologies, in a novel way. With further development, possible applications include communications from the Earth to spacecraft in Earth orbit and in deep space, such as at the moon and Mars. A possible application is to the Artemis Program for CubeSats in low-Lunar Orbit (LLO), which use body pointing, by providing a fine pointing capability. This system has been applied to satellites in low-Earth orbit, (LEO), in a study using computer simulations of the laser beam propagation.
Free-Space Optical Communication for Spacecraft and Satellites including CubeSats in Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Advance Photonics Congress ; 2019 ; Burlinggame, CA, United States
2011-06-29
Miscellaneous
No indication
English