Key challenges and results in the design of Cubesat Laser Terminals, Optical Heads and Coarse Pointing Assemblies
conference paper
The anticipated capacity benefit of optical satellite communications has triggered a cascade of technology developments. In this paper, we present three such technologies, namely; i). A cube satellite laser terminal (CubeCAT), ii). A lower Earth orbit satellite optical head (LEOCAT) and iii). A calibration and verification test bench for coarse pointing assemblies, named pointing test bench (PTB). For these technologies, pointing stability and accuracy are central challenges. For i) and ii), we discuss anticipated effects of the thermal and mechanical disturbances that threaten the optical alignment of the system. We furthermore explain the mitigation of these effects through the system design so that a high optical performance can be maintained. For iii), we discuss the mechanical design challenges, in combination with modelling and calibration procedures for the system. Effective dealing with the three of them in turn enables highly accurate mirror orientation and rotation. Design specifications and current status are presented for each system.
Topics
Coarse-pointing assemblyCubesatFree space optical communicationsGround-support equipmentLaser communication terminalLaser satellite communicationsLow earth orbitOptical headSmallsatSatellite communication systemsSatellitesCalibration and verificationDesign specificationEarth-orbit satellitesMechanical disturbanceOptical performancePointing stability
TNO Identifier
876241
ISBN
9781728105000
Publisher
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers IEEE
Article nr.
8978976
Source title
IEEE International Conference on Space Optical Systems and Applications, ICSOS 2019, 14-16 October 2019, Portland, OR, USA
Collation
6 p.
Place of publication
Piscataway, NJ, USA
Files
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