Optical communications for small satellites

Small satellites, particularly CubeSats, have become popular platforms for a wide variety of scientific, commercial and military remote sensing applications. Inexpensive commercial o the shelf (COTS) hardware and relatively low launch costs make these platforms candidates for deployment in large constellations that can offer unprecedented temporal and geospatial sampling of the entire planet. However, productivity for both individual and constellations of CubeSats in low earth orbit (LEO) is limited by the capabilities of the communications subsystem. Generally, these constraints stem from limited available electrical power, low-gain antennas and the general scarcity of available radio spectrum. In this thesis, we assess the ability of free space optical communication (lasercom) to address these limitations, identify key technology developments that enable its application in small satellites, and develop a functional prototype that demonstrates predicted performance. We first establish design goals for a lasercom payload archi- tecture that offers performance improvements (joules-per-bit) over radio-frequency (RF) solutions, yet is compatible with the severe size, weight and power (SWaP) constraints common to CubeSats. The key design goal is direct LEO-to-ground downlink capability with data rates exceeding 10 Mbps, an order of magnitude better than COTS radio solutions available today, within typical CubeSat SWaP constraints on the space terminal, and with similar COTS and low-complexity constraints on the ground terminal. After defining the goals for this architecture, we identify gaps in previous implementations that limit their performance: the lack of compact, power-efficient optical transmitters and the need for pointing capability on small satellites to be as much as a factor of ten better than what is commonly achieved today. One approach is to address these shortcomings using low-cost COTS components that are compatible with CubeSat budgets and development schedules. In design trade studies we identify potential solutions for the transmitter and pointing implementation gaps. Two distinct transmitter architectures, one based on a high-power laser diode and another using an optical amplifier, are considered. Analysis shows that both configurations meet system requirements, however, the optical amplifier offers better scalability to higher data rates. To address platform pointing limitations, we dene a staged control framework incorporating a COTS optical steering mechanism that is used to manage pointing errors from the coarse stage (host satellite body-pointing). A variety of ne steering solutions are considered, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) tip-tilt mirrors are selected due to their advantage in size, weight and power. We experimentally validate the designs resulting from the trade studies for these key subsystems. We construct a prototype transmitter using a modified COTS fiber amplifier and a directly-modulated seed laser capable of producing a 200mW average power, pulse position modulated…

[1]  Darren Rowen,et al.  3-Axis Attitude Determination and Control of the AeroCube-4 CubeSats , 2013 .

[2]  Mark L. Stevens,et al.  Design of a high-speed space modem for the lunar laser communications demonstration , 2011, LASE.

[3]  Andrew Chin,et al.  Attitude Control on the Pico Satellite Solar Cell Testbed-2 , 2012 .

[4]  Stephen G. Lambert,et al.  Laser Communications in Space , 1995 .

[5]  Shu Lin,et al.  Error control coding : fundamentals and applications , 1983 .

[6]  M. Stevens,et al.  Design for a 5-Watt PPM transmitter for the Mars laser communications demonstration , 2005, Digest of the LEOS Summer Topical Meetings, 2005..

[7]  J. L. Gimlett,et al.  Performance of directly modulated DFB lasers in 10-Gb/s ASK, FSK, and DPSK lightwave systems , 1990 .

[8]  E. Desurvire,et al.  Erbium‐Doped Fiber Amplifiers: Principles and Applications , 1995 .

[9]  D O Caplan,et al.  Ultra-wide-range multi-rate DPSK laser communications , 2010, CLEO/QELS: 2010 Laser Science to Photonic Applications.

[10]  F. Schmidt,et al.  TID Tolerance of Popular CubeSat Components , 2013, 2013 IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop (REDW).

[11]  Martin Mosberger,et al.  Ground receiver unit for optical communication between LADEE spacecraft and ESA ground station , 2014, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[12]  H. Ujihara,et al.  In-orbit verification of a compact Ku-band transmitter for a Pico-satellite , 2011, 2011 China-Japan Joint Microwave Conference.

[13]  Michael Swartwout,et al.  The First One Hundred CubeSats: A Statistical Look , 2013 .

[14]  William Marshall,et al.  Planet Labs’ Remote Sensing Satellite System , 2013 .

[15]  William Kemp,et al.  Total Dose Test Results for CubeSat Electronics , 2010, 2011 IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop.

[16]  M. Swartwout Cheaper by the dozen: The avalanche of rideshares in the 21st century , 2013, 2013 IEEE Aerospace Conference.

[17]  J. L. Gimlett,et al.  Ten-to-twenty gigabit-per-second modulation performance of 1.5- mu m distributed feedback lasers for frequency-shift-keying systems , 1989 .

[18]  Hien T. T. Pham,et al.  A Comprehensive Model for Performance Analysis of APD-based FSO Systems using M-PPM Signaling in Atmospheric Turbulence , 2013 .

[19]  Kuo-Chia Liu Stochastic performance analysis and staged control system designs for space based interferometers , 2003 .

[20]  Malcolm Macdonald,et al.  Through-life modelling of nano-satellite power system dynamics , 2013 .

[21]  Chang-Hee Lee,et al.  Transmission of directly modulated 2.5-Gb/s signals over 250-km of nondispersion-shifted fiber by using a spectral filtering method , 1996 .

[22]  Cordell Grant,et al.  Canadian Advanced Nanospace Experiment 2 Orbit Operations: One Year of Pushing the Nanosatellite Performance Envelope , 2009 .

[23]  Joseph M. Kahn,et al.  Communication techniques and coding for atmospheric turbulence channels , 2007 .

[24]  B. Robinson,et al.  Demonstration of 2.5-Gslot/s optically-preamplified M-PPM with 4 photons/bit receiver sensitivity , 2005, OFC/NFOEC Technical Digest. Optical Fiber Communication Conference, 2005..

[25]  M. Darnell,et al.  Error Control Coding: Fundamentals and Applications , 1985 .

[26]  Herbert Shea MEMS for pico- to micro-satellites , 2009, MOEMS-MEMS.

[27]  Zoran Sodnik,et al.  Overview of the inter-orbit and the orbit-to-ground laser communication demonstration by OICETS , 2007, SPIE LASE.

[28]  G. Lund,et al.  A multi-rate DPSK modem for free-space laser communications , 2014, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[29]  Zoran Sodnik,et al.  ESA's bidirectional space-to-ground laser communication experiments , 2004, SPIE Optics + Photonics.

[30]  Paul A. Lightsey,et al.  Scintillation in ground-to-space and retroreflected laser beams , 1994 .

[31]  Isaac I. Kim,et al.  Scintillation reduction using multiple transmitters , 1997, Photonics West.

[32]  Yoshinori Arimoto,et al.  Preliminary result on laser communication experiment using (ETS-VI) , 1995, Photonics West.

[33]  F.M. Davidson,et al.  Slot clock recovery in optical PPM communication systems with avalanche photodiode photodetectors , 1989, IEEE Trans. Commun..

[34]  Todd S. Rose,et al.  CUBESAT-SCALE LASER COMMUNICATIONS , 2015 .

[35]  Robert Osiander,et al.  MEMS and Microstructures in Aerospace Applications , 2005 .

[36]  Daniel Heynderickx,et al.  ESA's Space Environment Information System (SPENVIS) - A WWW interface to models of the space environment and its effects , 2000 .

[37]  Michael A. Davis,et al.  Fiber grating sensors , 1997 .

[38]  Kathleen Riesing,et al.  Orbit Determination from Two Line Element Sets of ISS-Deployed CubeSats , 2015 .

[39]  Herbert Shea,et al.  Radiation sensitivity of microelectromechanical system devices , 2009 .

[40]  Michael A. Powers,et al.  Brassboard development of a MEMS-scanned ladar sensor for small ground robots , 2011, Defense + Commercial Sensing.

[41]  Isaac I. Kim,et al.  Lessons learned for STRV-2 satellite-to-ground lasercom experiment , 2001, SPIE LASE.

[42]  D. O. Caplan,et al.  Parallel direct modulation laser transmitters for high-speed high-sensitivity laser communications , 2011, CLEO: 2011 - Laser Science to Photonic Applications.

[43]  James Mason,et al.  Results from the Planet Labs Flock Constellation , 2014 .

[44]  Richard P. Welle,et al.  The NASA Optical Communication and Sensor Demonstration Program , 2013 .

[45]  D. Caplan Laser communication transmitter and receiver design , 2007 .

[46]  David W. Miller,et al.  Design and Functional Validation of a Mechanism for Dual-Spinning CubeSats , 2013 .

[47]  Eric Teegarden,et al.  Aeneas -- Colony I Meets Three-Axis Pointing , 2011 .

[48]  Kathleen Riesing,et al.  Development of a pointing, acquisition, and tracking system for a nanosatellite laser communications module , 2015 .

[49]  David O. Caplan,et al.  Multi-rate DPSK optical transceivers for free-space applications , 2014, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[50]  Lionel Jacques Thermal Design of the OUFTI-1 nanosatellite , 2009 .

[51]  D. O. Caplan,et al.  Power-efficient noise-insensitive optical modulation for high-sensitivity laser communications , 2014, 2014 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO) - Laser Science to Photonic Applications.

[52]  Hamid Hemmati,et al.  Optical Satellite Communications , 2013 .

[53]  Ferran Marqués,et al.  Automatic satellite image georeferencing using a contour-matching approach , 2003, IEEE Trans. Geosci. Remote. Sens..

[54]  Neal R. Erickson,et al.  MicroMAS: A First Step Towards a Nanosatellite Constellation for Global Storm Observation , 2013 .

[55]  G. Prati,et al.  On Gaussian Error Probabilities in Optical Receivers , 1980, IEEE Trans. Commun..

[56]  Sara Seager,et al.  High-Precision Pointing and Attitude Determination and Control on ExoplanetSat , 2012 .

[57]  N. Perlot,et al.  Results of the optical downlink experiment KIODO from OICETS satellite to optical ground station Oberpfaffenhofen (OGS-OP) , 2007, SPIE LASE.

[58]  Randall J. Alliss,et al.  Deep-space to ground laser communications in a cloudy world , 2005, SPIE Optics + Photonics.

[59]  J. J. Carney,et al.  Design of a 40-Watt 1.55μm uplink transmitter for Lunar Laser Communications , 2012, Other Conferences.

[60]  Christopher Masaru Pong,et al.  High-precision pointing and attitude estimation and control algorithms for hardware-constrained spacecraft , 2014 .

[61]  Joseph Kerivan Lane Control of a MEMS fast steering mirror for laser applications , 2012 .

[62]  James Cutler,et al.  Maximizing photovoltaic power generation of a space-dart configured satellite , 2015 .

[63]  Morio Toyoshima,et al.  Optical Communication Experiment Using Very Small Optical TrAnsponder Component on a Small Satellite RISESAT , 2012 .

[64]  M K Cheezum,et al.  Quantitative comparison of algorithms for tracking single fluorescent particles. , 2001, Biophysical journal.

[65]  D. L. Begley,et al.  "Free-space laser communications: a historical perspective" , 2002, The 15th Annual Meeting of the IEEE Lasers and Electro-Optics Society.

[66]  Kenneth S. Andrews,et al.  Optical link design and validation testing of the Optical Payload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) system , 2014, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.

[67]  David O. Caplan A technique for measuring and optimizing modulator extinction ratio , 2000, CLEO 2000.

[68]  R. Link,et al.  Mitigating the impact of clouds on optical communications , 2005, 2005 IEEE Aerospace Conference.

[69]  R. T. Schulein,et al.  Silicon photonic filters for compact high extinction ratio power efficient (CHERPe) transmitters , 2015, 2015 Conference on Lasers and Electro-Optics (CLEO).

[70]  D. M. Boroson,et al.  The Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD) , 2009, 2009 Third IEEE International Conference on Space Mission Challenges for Information Technology.

[71]  W. Thomas Roberts,et al.  Deep-space Optical Terminals (DOT) Ground Laser Transmitter (GLT) Trades and Conceptual Point Design , 2010 .

[72]  Prasanna Adhikari,et al.  Description of STRV-2 lasercom flight hardware , 1997, Photonics West.

[73]  Zoran Sodnik,et al.  OICETS on-orbit laser communication experiments , 2006, SPIE LASE.

[74]  Brandon Craig Rhodes,et al.  PyEphem: Astronomical Ephemeris for Python , 2011 .

[75]  M. Shea,et al.  CREME96: A Revision of the Cosmic Ray Effects on Micro-Electronics Code , 1997 .

[76]  Hamid Hemmati,et al.  Near-Earth Laser Communications , 2009, Near-Earth Laser Communications.

[77]  Jin Li,et al.  Modeling of TE cooling of pump lasers , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Components and Packaging Technologies.

[78]  D O Caplan,et al.  Demonstration of multi-rate thresholded preamplified 16-ary pulse-position-modulation , 2010, 2010 Conference on Optical Fiber Communication (OFC/NFOEC), collocated National Fiber Optic Engineers Conference.

[79]  Clark Person,et al.  QbX - The CubeSat Experiment , 2012 .

[80]  David Krejci,et al.  A survey and assessment of the capabilities of Cubesats for Earth observation , 2012 .

[81]  William Kemp,et al.  Total Ionizing Dose Effects on Commercial Electronics for Cube Sats in Low Earth Orbits , 2014, 2014 IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop (REDW).

[82]  H. I. Mandelberg,et al.  Penalty-free propagation over 600 km of non-dispersion-shifted fiber at 2.5 Gb/s using a directly laser modulated transmitter , 1999 .

[83]  Kerri Cahoy,et al.  Laser beacon tracking for high-accuracy attitude determination , 2015 .

[84]  Sug-Whan Kim,et al.  MEMS micromirror characterization in space environments. , 2009, Optics express.

[85]  Herbert Shea Reliability of MEMS for space applications , 2006, SPIE MOEMS-MEMS.

[86]  G. Lund,et al.  Electronics design of a multi-rate DPSK modem for free-space optical communications , 2014, Photonics West - Lasers and Applications in Science and Engineering.