Optical communication demonstration and high-rate link facility

Abstract

Motivated by demands for faster, better, cheaper spacecraft, NASA is developing deep-space optical communication technology which promises reduced mass, volume, and power consumption compared to radio-frequency technology. While earth-orbiting optical receivers may eventually be employed, initial deep-space optical communication links are expected to utilize terrestrial telescope receivers. As the communication beam passes through the atmosphere, atmospheric turbulence causes the beam to scintillate, dramatically impacting its temporal and transverse nature. The statistics of these effects must be measured extensively if optical deep-space communication links are to be fully modeled and the design of deep-space communication links optimized. Sponsored by the Engineering Research and Technology Development program, the purposes of the Optical Communication Demonstration and High-Rate Link Facility are to demonstrate a Gbps-class optical downlink, gather extensive link statistics, and provide high-rate downlink capability. The Optical Communication Demonstration and High-Rate Link Facility will be deployed to the International Space Station by flight UF-4, currently scheduled for May 2002.