Flight configuration for the small optical user terminal

Paul V. Gatenby; Guy C. Baister; Jeffrey Lewis; Manfred E. Wittig

doi:10.1117/12.184642

16 August 1994 Flight configuration for the small optical user terminal

Paul V. Gatenby, Guy C. Baister, Jeffrey Lewis, Manfred E. Wittig

Proceedings Volume 2123, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies VI; (1994) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.184642
Event: OE/LASE '94, 1994, Los Angeles, CA, United States

Abstract

The Small Optical User Terminal (SOUl) is an optical communications package for interconnecting a LEO satellite to future optical data relay terminals and is the subject of an ESA development programme led by British Aerospace. The baseline terminal has a data rate of 2 Mbps over the return inter-orbit link and a mass of around 25 kg. Special features include a periscopic coarse pointing assembly, refractive telescope, passive anti-vibration mount, combined acquisition and tracking sensor, and fibre coupled lasers and receivers. The flight configuration which allows these features to be combined in a compact unit is described in this paper. Details are given of the pointing, acquisition and tracking, optical, and thermal and structural subsystems.

Citation Download Citation

Paul V. Gatenby, Guy C. Baister, Jeffrey Lewis, and Manfred E. Wittig "Flight configuration for the small optical user terminal", Proc. SPIE 2123, Free-Space Laser Communication Technologies VI, (16 August 1994); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.184642

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