Acquisition and tracking control of satellite-borne laser communication systems and simulation of downlink fluctuations

Fluctuation in the intensity of a downlink satellite-to-ground laser beam is examined by first measuring the acquisition time and point- ing error of a satellite-borne laser communication system. The downlink intensity fluctuation is then simulated using a computer model that takes into account the effects of acquisition and tracking control, satellite atti- tude perturbation, and intensity fluctuation due to atmospheric turbu- lence. The simulation shows that when the tracking control-loop is closed, the major portion of the angular variation due to satellite attitude variation is corrected by the tracking control; scarcely any angular error in beam pointing remains. © 2006 Society of Photo-Optical Instrumentation

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