Adaptive jitter rejection technique applicable to airborne laser communication systems

Satellite jitter adversely affects the pointing, acquisition, and tracking (PAT) functions of an intersatellite laser communication system. Reliable aircraft-based testing of PAT systems requires that the detrimental effects of aircraft jitter be controlled and a realistic satellite jitter environment be emulated. A novel jitter rejection technique, the self-tuning feed-forward compensation scheme, is developed to minimize the effects of aircraft vibration on the PAT terminal. The self-tuning results in the implicit characterization of the mechanical jitter propagation path, thus facilitating the injection of prerecorded satellite jitter in the control circuitry of steering mirrors.