Optical Space Communications

Optical Space Communications
Zoran Sodnik
Head of Optoelectronics Section, TEC-MME
Zoran Sodnik: Optical Space Communications International School on Space Optics, ESA/ESTEC 2-6 October 2017 1
Lecture outline
1. Why optical space communications?
2. First generation optical data-relay
• SILEX (ARTEMIS and SPOT-4)
• OICETS
• LOLA
• OGS
3. A few formulas very useful in optical space communications
4. Optical communications issues through atmospheric turbulence
5. Recent and future developments
• Quantum key distribution
• Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environmental Explorer (LADEE)
• EDRS and GlobeNet
• Optel-µ
• Deep-space Optical Communication System (DOCS)
6. Summary and conclusions
Why Optical Space Communications?
Terrestrial bandwidth requirements are continuously rising
Richardson D.J., Fini J.M., Nelson L.E. (2013) Space-division

multiplexing in optical fibres. Nature Photonics 7, 354-362
State of the art of optical

communications technology in
space as of today
WDM: Wavelength-division multiplexing
EDFA: Erbium-doped fibre amplifier
Advantages:
• Bandwidth: The radio frequency spectrum is becoming scarce, while the optical spectrum is not
regulated and bandwidth (= data that can be transmitted) is available in abundance.
• Security: Optical communication is safe against jamming, interference and eavesdropping.
Disadvantages:
• Availability: Cloud coverage
• New technology with little heritage (EDRS is the first commercial application).
Diffraction causes the diameter of a collimated electromagnetic wave to increase in size over
distance. If a transmission system is perfect, the beam divergence is given by:
φ ≈ wavelength/diameter
EXAMPLE:
Radio Ka-band wavelength: 12 000 µm (= 25 GHz)
Laser wavelength: 1.064 µm (= 282 THz)
Divergence ratio: φKa / φL ≈ 11278
Illuminated area ratio: (φKa / φL)2 ---> AKa / AL ≈ 127 000 000
Unfortunately, noise sources, optical power efficiencies and realistic antenna sizes reduce the
theoretical advantage dramatically when assuming current technology (see next slide).
But the pointing of laser beams needs to be about four orders of magnitude more accurate
compared to radio beams assuming identical beam diameters.
Theoretical net data rate gain of an optical versus a RF communication system,
assuming today’s technology
Property RF Optical Net gain of optical vs.

RF
Carrier frequency 25 GHz 282 THz +81 dB
(12 mm) (1064 nm) (127 Mio)
Transmitter power
50 W 5W -10 dB
TX antenna diameter
2.5 m 0.25 m -20 dB
RX antenna diameter
10 m 1m -20 dB
RX noise temperature
100 K 13500 K -21 dB
Total +10 dB
How to combat cloud probability in space to ground links
S/C
with LCT
No Location CFLOS
1 Maspalomas 76.6%
2 Marseille 66.6%
3 Granada 67.5%
4 Athens 68.8%
5 Heraklion 56.7%
OGS
6 Madrid 63.7% OGS

3
7 Oslo 32.2% OGS

2
Network
Control Center
8 Rome 62.0%
9 Oviedo 43.3% Only multiple ground stations connected via a terrestrial fiber
10 Birmingham 28.2%
network can generate a cloud free line of sight (CFLOS)
11 Bucharest 47.5%
probabilities that satisfy telecommunication applications. The
12 Gibraltar 57.9%
Cumulative 99.9%
example is taken from a study that analyzed weather satellite
data between 2008 and 2012.
Points to remember:
1. Laser communication provides “virtually” unlimited bandwidth without
the need for International Telecommunications Union (ITU) licensing.
2. Pointing of laser beams is requires accuracies that are orders of

magnitude higher compared to radio beams.
3. In space to ground links cloud coverage can only be mitigated by multiple

ground stations, or by a data relay system (to be shown next).
First Generation Optical Data Relay
SILEX inter satellite link between SPOT-4 (LEO) and ARTEMIS (GEO)
ARTEMIS
SPOT-4
PASTEL (on SPOT-4) OPALE (on ARTEMIS)
30 November 2001 17:45 Lanzarote,
Canary Islands, in the Atlantic ocean
west of Africa, the first image
transmitted via optical inter-satellite
link from SPOT-4 to ARTEMIS and
then to SPOTIMAGE in Toulouse,
France via ARTEMIS’ Ka-band feeder
link.
ESA cooperation with JAXA.
Inter-satellite link between

OICETS (LEO) and ARTEMIS
(GEO)
OICETS experiment
performed in 2005
ESA cooperation with
Astrium/French DoD.
Mystere 20 (airplane) to
ARTEMIS (GEO) link
LOLA experiment
performed in 2006
The OGS was developed as
an alternative check-out and
test facility for the optical
communication payload
onboard ARTEMIS
OGS experiments with

ARTEMIS started on
November 15, 2001
The Optical Ground
Station (OGS) is located
at the Observatorio del
Teide, Izaña, Tenerife,
Spain
OGS
Built for:
• In-orbit check-out of the laser communication terminals
• Space Debris observations in GEO and GTO
• Astronomical observations (Asteroid and NEO detection).
Location:
Observatorio del Teide in Izaña, Tenerife, Spain
Geographic longitude: 16°30’36.36” West
Geographic latitude: 28°17’58.29” North
Altitude above sea level: 2393 meters
Features:
• High altitude, good seeing conditions
• Location is well above the first cloud inversion layer
• Relative proximity to equator minimizes Zenith angle to GEO satellites
• Excellent infrastructure with lodging and food facilities
• OGS experimental time is controlled by ESA
Carl Zeiss 1-meter telescope system of the OGS
Telescope mounting: English mount
• Primary mirror: ∅ 1016 mm, f/4
Ritchey-Chrétien (RC) system:

• Focal length: 13.3 m, f# = 13
• Field-of-view: ∅ 45 arcmin
Space debris system plus CCD camera mounted in Cassegrain

focus:
• Focal length: 4.474 m, f# = 4.4
• Field-of-view: 41 x 41 arcmin
Coudé system:
• Focal length: 39.1 m, f# = 39
• Field-of-view: ∅ 8 arcmin
FPM Fine Pointing Mirror
Tracking Field
Stop from Telescope PAM Point Ahead Mirror
loop
AS Acquisition Sensor
TS Tracking Sensor
CC Coudé Camera
RFE Receiver Front End
Collimator
POL Polarimeter
SPE Spectrometer
BCS Beam Conditioning System
TS EOM Electro-Optic Modulator
F Filter
CC
Data POL
F
receiver
AS/TS
F Field Separator
RFE FPM
TX/RX
Isolator
SPE PAM
F
AS
Ti-Sapphire
BCS ZOOM EOM Ar+ Laser
Laser
ARTEMIS SPOT-4 OICETS LOLA OGS
Orbit and launch date: GEO - 2001 LEO - 1998 LEO - 2005 NA - 2006 NA - 1996
Antenna diameter Rx: 250 mm 250 mm 260 mm 125 mm 1016 mm
Beam diameter Tx (1/e2): 125 mm 250 mm 130 mm 73 mm 40 – 300 mm
Transmit power (ex aperture): 10 mW 40 mW 70 mW 104 mW 350 mW
Transmit data rate: 2 Mbps 50 Mbps
Transmit wavelength: 819 nm 847 nm
Transmit modulation scheme: 2-PPM NRZ
Receive data rate: 50 Mbps none 2 Mbps
Receive wavelength: 847 nm 819 nm
Receive modulation scheme: NRZ none 2-PPM
Link distance: 45000 km
Beacon wavelength: 801 nm none
Optical terminal mass: 160 kg 150 kg 160 kg 50 kg 12000 kg
A few Formulas very useful in Optical Space Communications
Diffraction from a circular aperture with uniform illumination
λ
d = 2.44 ∗ ∗ f
D
with: λ = wavelength
D = aperture diameter
d = focal spot diameter
f = focal length
Example:
In the absence of atmospheric turbulence (in space) and at a wavelength of λ = 1550 nm,
an aperture diameter of D = 0.19 m and a focal length of f = 10 m, the focal spot from a
point source (star or the beam from a satellite) has a diameter of d = 200 µm.
Measured between the two minima.
Diffraction from a circular aperture with Gaussian illumination
4 λ
Φ= ∗ with: Φ = divergence angle
π D λ = wavelength
D = aperture diameter
d=Φ*z d = far field diameter
z = link distance
Example:
In the absence of atmospheric turbulence (in space) and at a wavelength of λ = 819 nm
and an aperture diameter D = 0.125 m the beam divergence is φ = 8.3 µrad (1.72 arcsec).
In the far field at a distance of z = 42000 km the Gaussian laser beam diameter becomes
d = 350 m.
Point ahead angle
2∗Δv
φ=
c
with: ϕ = point ahead angle
Δv = lateral velocity difference
c = speed of light
Example:
A geostationary satellite in an altitude of 35793 km (42164 km orbit) has an orbital speed of
v = 3.07 km/sec; while a LEO satellite in an altitude of 800 km (7171 km orbit) has an orbital
speed of v = 8 km/sec.
Thus Δv ≤ 11.07 km/sec. and the point ahead angle is ϕ ≤ 73.8 µrad (≤15.2 arcsec).
Power Link Budget
θ 
 π ⋅ Dt   λ   π ⋅ Dr 
2 2 2
−8 p 
 θ div 
 ⋅τ t ⋅ e  ⋅ L prec ⋅ Lirec ⋅τ rec
−WFE 2
Prec = PLaser ⋅  ⋅e ⋅  ⋅
 λ   4πR   λ 
Transmit Gain
Receiver transmission loss

Laser Power
imaging quality
mis-pointing loss
Distance Tx to Rx
Receiver Pointing Loss

transmission losses
imaging quality
Receiver Gain
polarization losses
Received Transmit Transmit Free- Receive

power power antenna space antenna
gain loss gain
Power Link Budget
P
dBm = 10 ∗ log( )
1 mW
x2
dB = 10 ∗ log( )
x1
Examples:
0 dB = 1
3 dB = 2 dB = 0.5
6 dB = 4 6 dB = 0.25
7 dB = 5 -7 dB = 0.2
10 dB = 10 -10 dB = 0.1
20 dB = 100 -20 dB = 0.01
30 dB = 1000 -30 dB = 0.001
Optical communications issues through the atmospheric
(Transmission, shower curtain effect and adaptive optics)
Atmospheric transmission windows
Band 3: wavelengths around 1064 nm and band 5: wavelengths around 1550 nm are used for optical
communication systems, while SILEX used band 2: wavelengths around 820 nm
Extension of turbulent atmosphere: ≈ 20 km (above ground)
-> is smaller than the line-width of the drawing
Atmospheric turbulence effects on the propagation of a laser beam decrease with
height above ground.
350 mW 10 mW
International School on Space Optics, ESA/ESTEC 2-6 October 2017

Zoran Sodnik: Optical Space Communications 32
Uplink
Downlink
Uplink from OGS to GEO Downlink from GEO to OGS
Mitigation of uplink scintillation by multiple (4) transmitters
Acquisition Strategy (SILEX)
ARTEMIS OGS (or LEO satellite)
Scan FOV: 5796 x 5472 µrad Rx FOV (diam): 2327 µrad

Scan interval: 316 µrad
Rx FOV: 1050 x 1050 µrad
Beacon FOV: diam. 750 µrad
Beacon wavelength: 801 nm
Scan duration: 208 sec Response time: <0.35 s

Beacon FOV (diam): 750 µrad Laser FOV (diam): 27 µrad
Far-Field illumination: 0.75 s Laser wavelength: 847 nm
Beacon wavelength: 801 nm Laser power: 3W
Max. beacon power: 19 x 900 mW
Alignment optimization: 27 sec. Laser FOV (diam): 27 µrad

Beacon wavelength: 801 nm Laser wavelength: 847 nm
Beacon polarization: random Laser polarisation: LHC
Comms laser FOV (diam): 10 µrad Laser FOV (diam): 27 µrad

Comms laser: 819 nm Laser wavelength: 847 nm
Comms polarisation: LHC Laser polarisation: LHC
Beacon switch-off: after 2 s
Comms laser FOV (diam): 10 µrad Laser FOV (diam): 27 µrad

Comms wavelength: 819 nm Wavelength: 847 nm
Comms polarisation: LHC Laser polarisation: LHC
Comms power: 37 mW Laser power: 3W
Wide Field Camera
Telescope
ARTEMIS,
Distance: ~38000 km
Thin Cirrus cloud layer,

Distance: ~8 km
Sahara dust layer

Distance: 100 m to ~7 km
Zeiss 1 m Telescope Zeiss 0.18 m Maksutov Wide Field Camera
Recent and Future Developments
Quantum Key Distribution
Past world-record in longest

distance in ground-based
quantum entangled key
distribution (144 km).
Lunar Communication Link
LADEE spacecraft
downlink to ESA’s
Optical Ground
Station (OGS):
Data rate: 80 Mbps
Link dist.: 400000 km
TX power: 0.5 W
LADEE was a NASA mission Aperture: 10 cm
performed in 2013/2014. RX: OGS
European Data Relay System (EDRS) EDRS is composed of:
Two satellites in GEO
• EDRS-A (9ºE, 29.01.16)
• EDRS-C (31ºE, 2018)
It so-far provides data

relay services for four
satellite is LEO
• Sentinel 1a (LEO, 03.04.14)
• Sentinel 1b (LEO, 22.04.16)
• Sentinel 2a (LEO, 22.06.15)
• Sentinel 2b (LEO, 07.03.17)
The following satellites

will be added
• Sentinel 1c
• Sentinel 1d
• Sentinel 2c
• Sentinel 2d
GlobeNet - EDRS extension (2020)
Number of satellites
in GEO (EDRS-D and
EDRS-E) and data
rates increased
(3600 Mbps),
GEO crosslinks
implemented.
OPTEL-µ - Small optical communication terminal for LEO to ground applications
Design parameters:
• Application: LEO to ground
• Data rate: 2 Gbps
• Mass: 8 kg
• Volume: 8 liters
• Power: 40 Watts
• Link distance: <2000 km
• TX wavelength: 1550 nm
• RX wavelength: 1064 nm
• Aperture: 15 mm
• Pointing: hemispheric
Downlink to small (60 cm diameter) ground stations ->
OPTEL-µ SICH-2 spacecraft
In-orbit demonstration Yuzhnoye, Ukraine
Orbit: LEO
Altitude: 600 km
Mass: 170 km
Lifetime: 5 years
Launch: 2018
Optical Ground station at the University

of Applied Science in Winterthur,
Switzerland.
Deep-space Optical Communication System (DOCS)
Mission to Libration Orbit L5 with optical

communication system:
• Link distance (1 AU): 150 Mio km
• Data rate: 10 Mbps
• Sun separation: 60 degrees
• Point ahead angle: 41 arcsec
• Launch date: 2024
Solar shielding is simple; coarse pointing

assembly is not required; point ahead angle
and Earth illumination are constant.
TLA DOCS
CCD or CMOS
Col
Cat’s eye DBS

DOCS space terminal: 4QD
• Aperture: 200 mm
• TX laser: 1550 nm, 5 W FSM
DBS
• Earth track: 400 nm – 1000 nm
• 4QD: 1064 nm (MCT or InGaAs)
PAM TX laser
• TX/RX cal.: Cat’s eye
DOCS
DOCS ground terminal:

• Aperture: 4000 mm
• TX laser: 1064 nm, 2400 W
• Star track: visible (CCD) camera
• 4QD: 1550 nm (MCT or InGaAs)
• TX/RX cal.: Cat’s eye
OPTEL-µ EDRS GlobeNet LADEE DOCS
Optical link geometry: LEO to Earth LEO to GEO LEO to GEO Moon to Earth L5 to Earth
GEO to GEO
Date: 2018 2013 2020 2013 2024
Antenna diameter: 15 mm 135 mm 135 mm 100 mm 200 mm
Transmit power (ex aperture): 400 mW 1 Watt 5 Watt 500 mW 5 Watt
Transmit data rate: 2000 Mbps 1800 Mbps 3600 Mbps 80 Mbps 10 Mbps
Transmit wavelength: 1550 nm 1064 nm 1550 nm 1550 nm
Transmit modulation scheme: NRZ BPSK 16-PPM 16-PPM
Receive data rate: 100 kbps 1800 Mbps 3600 Mbps 20 Mbps None
Receive wavelength: 1064 nm 1064 nm 1560 nm 1064 nm
Receive modulation scheme: 4-PPM BPSK 4-PPM None
Link distance: 2000 km 45000 km 75000 km 400000 km 150000000 km
Beacon wavelength: none 1570 nm 1064 nm
Optical terminal mass: 7.5 kg 53 kg 30 kg 40 kg
Summary and Conclusions
• Optical technologies can significantly enhance satellite communication by:
 Replacing the large high-gain RF antennae with smaller and more lightweight systems (due to
large antenna gains)
 Solving the RF bandwidth bottleneck.
 Increasing security, because interference and eavesdropping are virtually impossible.
• Cloud coverage issues need to be mitigated by site diversity (network of stations in
an international cooperation).
• Optical communication has shown its potential, but it is still not a mature and well
established technology
• European companies are at the forefront of optical communication technology.
• The latest trends in optical communication technologies are:
 Feeder-links for future terabit telecommunication satellites in GEO
 Satellite constellations in MEO and LEO
 Quantum key distribution from satellites in LEO
Thank you for your attention!
Zoran Sodnik, PhD
Head of Opto-Electronics Section (TEC-MME)
Zoran Sodnik joined the European Space Agency (ESA-ESTEC) in

1993 as senior optical engineer, responsible for managing R&D
activities and supporting ESA programs (ARTEMIS, DARWIN, LISA,
SMART-1, SMART-3, AIM…). His main activities are in the field of
optical communications technologies and he managed the
development of ESA’s optical ground station in Tenerife, Spain,
for which he became the responsible station manager in 1995.
Since December 2013 he is heading the Opto-Electronics Section

(TEC-MME) at ESTEC, which deals technology developments of
zoran.sodnik@esa.int detectors, lasers, photonics systems, quantum technologies,
LIDAR systems and optical communication systems.
Zoran Sodnik: Optical Space Communications International School on Space Optics, ESA/ESTEC 2-6 October 2017
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Optical Space Communications

Richardson D.J., Fini J.M., Nelson L.E. (2013) Space-division

State of the art of optical

Property RF Optical Net gain of optical vs.

6 Madrid 63.7% OGS

7 Oslo 32.2% OGS

2. Pointing of laser beams is requires accuracies that are orders of

3. In space to ground links cloud coverage can only be mitigated by multiple

Inter-satellite link between

OGS experiments with

Ritchey-Chrétien (RC) system:

Space debris system plus CCD camera mounted in Cassegrain

Receiver transmission loss

Receiver Pointing Loss

Received Transmit Transmit Free- Receive

International School on Space Optics, ESA/ESTEC 2-6 October 2017

Scan FOV: 5796 x 5472 µrad Rx FOV (diam): 2327 µrad

Scan duration: 208 sec Response time: <0.35 s

Alignment optimization: 27 sec. Laser FOV (diam): 27 µrad

Comms laser FOV (diam): 10 µrad Laser FOV (diam): 27 µrad

Comms laser FOV (diam): 10 µrad Laser FOV (diam): 27 µrad

Thin Cirrus cloud layer,

Sahara dust layer

Zeiss 1 m Telescope Zeiss 0.18 m Maksutov Wide Field Camera

Past world-record in longest

It so-far provides data

The following satellites

Downlink to small (60 cm diameter) ground stations ->

Optical Ground station at the University

Mission to Libration Orbit L5 with optical

Solar shielding is simple; coarse pointing

Cat’s eye DBS

DOCS ground terminal:

Zoran Sodnik joined the European Space Agency (ESA-ESTEC) in

Since December 2013 he is heading the Opto-Electronics Section

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