Completion of Optical Inter-Orbit Communications Engineering Test Satellite (OICETS)

Abstract Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) developed the optical inter-orbit communications engineering test satellite (OICETS), which has a laser communications terminal called the laser utilizing communications equipment (LUCE). On August 23, 2005, OICETS was successfully launched and injected into a sun synchronous orbit at the altitude of 610 km. OICETS planned to demonstrate the free-space inter-orbit laser communications with the cooperation of the advanced relay and technology mission satellite (ARTEMIS) developed by the European Space Agency (ESA). On December 9, 2005, JAXA and ESA succeeded in a bidirectional optical inter-orbit communications experiment using a laser beam between OICETS and ARTEMIS. This is the world first bidirectional optical inter-orbit communication successfully established. This paper will describe the outline of OICETS satellite system and LUCE, the result of initial functional verifications on-orbit, the results of inter-orbit communications experiment between OICETS and ARTEMIS, and between OICETS and the ground station.