Lasercom test and evaluation station for flight-terminal evaluation

Keith E. Wilson; Norman A. Page; Abhijit Biswas; Hamid Hemmati; Kevin Masters; David M. Erickson; James R. Lesh

doi:10.1117/12.273690

24 April 1997 Lasercom test and evaluation station for flight-terminal evaluation

Keith E. Wilson, Norman A. Page, Abhijit Biswas, Hamid Hemmati, Kevin Masters, David M. Erickson, James R. Lesh

Proceedings Volume 2990, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies IX; (1997) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.273690
Event: Photonics West '97, 1997, San Jose, CA, United States

Abstract

Full-up pre-launch characterization of a lasercom terminal's communications and acquisition/tracking subsystems can provide quantitative characterization of the terminal and better realize the benefits of any demonstration. The lasercom test and evaluation station (LTES) being developed at NASA/JPL is a high quality optical system that will measure the key characteristics of lasercom terminals that operate over the visible and near-IR spectral region. The LTES's large receiving aperture will accommodate terminals up to 20 cm. in diameter. The unit has six optical channels and it measures far-field beam pattern, divergence, data rates up to 1.4 Gbps and bit-error rates as low as 10^-9. It also measures the output power of the laser-terminal's beacon and communications channels. The 1 kHz frame rate camera in LTES's acquisition channel measures the point-ahead angle of the laser communications terminal to a resolution of 1 (mu) rad. When combined with the data channel detection, the acquisition channel measures acquisition and reacquisition times with a 1 ms resolution.

Citation Download Citation

Keith E. Wilson, Norman A. Page, Abhijit Biswas, Hamid Hemmati, Kevin Masters, David M. Erickson, and James R. Lesh "Lasercom test and evaluation station for flight-terminal evaluation", Proc. SPIE 2990, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies IX, (24 April 1997); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.273690

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