NASA’s Optical Communications Program for 2017 and Beyond

Dr. Don Cornwell, Director

Advanced Communications and Navigation Division 1 SCaN’s Advanced Communication and Navigation High-Level Roadmap

2 3 2013: NASA’s First, Historic Lasercom Mission The Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD)

MIT Lincoln Laboratory, NASA GSFC, NASA Ames, NASA JPL, and ESA

2014 Popular Mechanics 2014 R&D 100 Nominated for the Winner of the Breakthrough Award for Winning National Aeronautic Leadership and Technology in National Space Innovation for LADEE Association's Robert Communications J. Collier Trophy Club’s Nelson category P. Jackson Award for 2015

LLCD returned data by laser to Earth at a record 622 Megabits per second (Mbps) = streaming 30+ HDTV channels simultaneously! LADEE Space Terminal Laser

Latch to protect and hold Flight aperture size telescope during reduced by an order launch of magnitude (4” Laser Window)

Innovative stabilization design enabled a leap forward in fine pointing accuracy

Approved for Public Release Built by MIT/Lincoln Laboratory Space Terminal Internal Modules

• Uplink functions – Selectable 10, 20 Mbps – Command, data, and test pattern demux • Downlink functions – Selectable 40-620 Mbps – Mux terminal telemetry, looped- back uplink, data, test patterns • Enables time-of-flight

PPM Modem Module Controller Electronics Module

• Controller functions – Spacecraft controls interface – Space terminal configuration – Digital controls for PAT LLCD Fully Integrated on LADEE The LADEE Launch from Wallops 11/8/2 013

7 LLCD’s Historic Accomplishments – Bringing “Broadband” speeds to and from the

Regular, instantaneous (seconds!) acquisition and tracking on all clear passes – Achieved on the first attempt!  Invisible lasers at eyesafe 622 Mbps down to Earth wavelengths (infrared) 77 Mbps to Earth through thin clouds

20 Mbps up to LADEE  First demonstration of “space internet” over a laser link

System allows for precise location of spacecraft for navigation (< 1 cm precision) LLCD Accomplishments – Operating under Challenging Conditions

Transmitting Data in broad daylight at 622 Mbps < 3° from the Sun LLCD Accomplishments – No Issues with Atmospheric Effects like Fading and Turbulence

Transmitting Data at 77 Mbps < 5° above the horizon LLCD Accomplishments – Streaming HD Video and Delivering Useful Scientific Data from LADEE to Earth

Real LADEE Science Data and Telemetry Transmitted via LLCD LLCD’s Multiple Ground Terminals: An International Collaboration

Optical Communications Optical Ground Station (OGS) Telescope Lab (OCTL) ESA, El TeideObservatory NASA/JPL, Tenerife, Spain Table Mountain Facility Wrightwood, CA.

Lunar Lasercomm Ground Terminal (LLGT) NASA, White Sands Complex White Sands, NM Geographic site diversity is required to reduce the likelihood that clouds will interrupt the link; it also allowed the to demonstrate international interoperability while sharing the costs of the system of LLCD OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS: 2017 AND BEYOND

13 NASA’s Plan Forward for Near-Earth Relay Optical Missions: LCRD in GEO

GEO Relay and Ground 2019 EM-2 Up to 531 Mbps PPM Return Link 20 Mbps Forward Link Deep SpaceDeep Gen-1 GEO Optical Relay Terminal Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) 311 Mbps x 2 Return Links on RF 16 Mbps Forward Link on RF Gen-1 Optical User Terminal 1.244 Gbps Optical Return Link

51 Mbps Forward Link Near EarthNear

1.244 Gbps Optical Forward And Return Link

SCaN Operated Gen-1 OGS SCaN Operations Center Operated Gen-1 OGS 14 Gen-1 Optical Ground Station Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD) on STPSat-6 for June 2019 Launch • Joint SCaN/NASA Space Tech Mission • Hosted payload with AFRL/STP • Two to eight years of mission ops • Flight Payload – Two LLCD-heritage Optical Modules and Controller Electronics Modules – Two software-defined DPSK Modems with 2.88 Gbps data rate – New High Speed Switching Unit to interconnect the two terminals – RFI for “Guest Investigators” in 2015 revealed significant commercial interest • Key for NASA’s Next-Gen Earth Relay in 2024 timeframe

15 15 LCRD Mission Architecture with SCaN-Provided Ground System, Directly Integrated into NASA’s

Two Terminals at 1550 nm LCRD Flight Payload 1.244 Gbps User Rate On STPSat-6 Full Duplex (Bi-Directional)

White Sands, NM

Table Mountain, CA STPSat-6 Mission Hawaii Ops Center Optical Ground Station 1 Optical Ground Station 2 (OGS-1) (OGS-2)

LCRD Developed Remote LCRD Mission LCRD Mission OGS-X Developed Joint LCRD/OGS-X Developed Ops Center (R-LMOC) Ops Center (LMOC) Space Network Developed NASA Goddard Space Flight Center White Sands, NM 16 LCRD Payload: All Modules now in Environmental Testing; Full Payload I&T Fall 2017

OPTICAL TEST TEAM

Optical Module #2 SHIM EDU Vibration Testing Electrical Integration to Surrogate Plate

Optical Module #1 Modem #1 Thermal Vacuum Testing Vibration Testing Gen-1 GEO Optical Relay Terminal Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD)

OVERVIEW LCRD Technology Components Status • Two GEO Relay Terminals based on LLCD Optical Optical Module Module flown on LADEE with 2.88 Gbps DPSK (multiple vendors on TRL 8  Modems FFP contracts) Complete • Connected by NASA’s first frame-layer switch in space (5 Gbps 8 x 8 switch fabric) Multi-Rate Modem TRL6  (vendors, GSFC) Complete • Hosted payload on AFRL’s STPSat-6 for Jun ‘19 LRD Controller Electronics TRL6  PROGRAM STATUS AND NEXT STEPS (Commercial FFP) Complete • Passed CDR in December 2016 Space Switching Unit TRL6  • Payload I&T began in March 2017 (Commercial FFP) Complete COMMERCIALIZATION • Major modules (CE, SSU) and sub-components System Integration In (GSFC) All 2017 (OM, MRM) now commercially-available under FFP

Segment 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

NEAR EARTH SPACE LCRD Launch RELAY Gen-1 GEO Optical Relay Terminal 18 NASA’s Optical Plan Forward: User Terminals for LEO and the Moon

Orion EM-2 LEO User Terminal on ISS in 2021 Up to 531 Mbps PPM Return Link 20 Mbps Forward Link Deep SpaceDeep Gen-1 GEO Optical Relay Terminal Laser Communications Relay Demonstration (LCRD) 311 Mbps x 2 Return Links on RF 16 Mbps Forward Link on RF Gen-1 Optical User Terminal 1.244 Gbps Optical Return Link

51 Mbps Forward Link Near EarthNear

1.244 Gbps Optical Forward And Return Link

SCaN Operated Gen-1 OGS SCaN Operations Center Operated Gen-1 OGS 19 Gen-1 Optical Ground Station ILLUMA-T Next Gen Optical Module: MIT-LL Design, Commercial Manufacture

• 2-axis gimbal with brushless torque motors • Hemispherical field of regard o +/- 175 degrees Azimuth o +/- 120 degrees Elevation • Slew rates of >10 degrees per second • Off-axis telescope coupled to fixed small-optics bench via Coudé path • Includes optional wide-angle beacon for acquisition and pseudostar MIRU for inertial stabilization • ~13 kg total mass for 10 cm model • Would develop 20 cm model for GEO terminals, including GEO crosslinks 10 cm Model for LEO Users 7 Gen-1 Optical User Terminal Integrated LCRD LEO User Modem and Amplifier – Terminal (ILLUMA-T)

OVERVIEW ILLUMA-T Technology Components • Lower cost and SWaP User Terminal for LCRD (10.7 cm) with new 2.88 Gbps uncoded DPSK Modem and high power amplifier (3 W) Next-Gen optical TRL 5 Terminal (NGT) EDU I&T Apr • Launch to JEM-EFU3 on ISS in April 2021 (Commercially Available) 2017 • Photon-counting modem required for Orion EM-2 PROGRAM STATUS AND NEXT STEPS TRL 4 Modem and HPOA • Begin I&T of EDU w/flight materials April 2017 RFP Released (TBD, GSFC) • SRR for ISS mission, Orion EM-2 in August 2017 May 2017 COMMERCIALIZATION Controller Electronics TRL 5 • Major modules (CE, Modem) and sub-components (Commercially Available) In Work (OM, MRM) to be commercially-developed under FFP • Full terminal to be competed in 2020 for commercial System Integration ISS: Apr 2020 build of Qty. 5 (MIT-LL) EM-2: Jun 2019

Segment 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026

NEAR EARTH SPACE RELAY Gen-1 GEO Optical Gen-1 Optical Relay Terminal User Terminal 21 The Key to Reducing SWaP and Cost: Photonic Integrated Circuits

US Industry has commercialized “Integrated photonics” to allow many electro- optical components, even glass fibers, to be “squeezed down”….. …into the optical equivalent of a micro- electronics “integrated circuit”

For NASA, this means that optical systems for communications and sensors can be reduced in size, mass, and cost by >> 100x 1 cm by leveraging this commercially-available COTS Fiber Telecom Modem technology (some customization may be required)

..based on Integrated Photonics NASA’s Next Gen Relay (2024) with 10G Users and 100G Crosslinks

23 NASA’s Optical Plan Forward: Gen-2 GEO Optical Relay Terminal

OVERVIEW Gen-2 GEO Relay Terminal Technology • Gen 2 GEO Relay Terminal based on 20 cm NGT; Gen 2 User Terminal uses legacy Gen 1 10 cm NGT 20 cm TRL 3 • 10G or 100 Gbps COTS integrated photonics modems Next-Gen Terminal RFI 2017 for User or Relay, respectively (Commercial RFP) RFP 2019 • Consolidation of Controller Electronics into ILLUMA Modem Chassis 10G/100G Integrated • On-board CODEC and Buffer Photonics Modem and TRL 4 PROGRAM STATUS AND NEXT STEPS Controller RFI 2019 (Commercial RFP) • Proposed optical payload for PPBE19 HEO Next Gen Relay Decision package 10 W High Power Optical Amplifier for GEO Relay TRL 6 COMMERCIALIZATION (Commercial RFP) • Optical payload RFI release in 2017; all modules (20 System Integration for cm NGT, 100G Modem, 10W HPOA) to be Relay Optical Payload 2023 commercially-developed under FFP (GSFC or Commercial)

Segment 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 Gen-1 GEO Optical Gen-1 Optical User Terminal Relay Terminal SPACE NEAR EARTH Gen-2 Optical RELAY Gen-2 GEO Optical User Terminal GROUND Gen-1 OGS Relay Terminal 24 NASA’s Optical Plan Forward: Ultra-High

Data Rate LEO Direct-to-Earth (DTE) Deep Space Deep

Mission Users in LEO with High Data Volumes: Total Return > 56 Tb/day

Low-Cost Optical 200G DTE Optical User Terminal Ground Station Up to 200 Gbps Optical Return

Link in 1.9U Volume Near EarthNear

Mission SCaN Operated Operations Center Operated LC-OGS SCaN Gen-1 OGS Operated Mission Mission Gen-1 OGS Operated Data LC-OGS Storage 25 Near-Earth LEO Ultra-High Rate DTE Technologies

Technology Overview Commercialization Next Steps 200G DTE Optical • Low cost and SWaP (1.9U) terminal with 2 x 100 Propose • modem and memory TRL User Terminal Gbps integrated photonics modems and commercial 6 after GEVS and radiation integrated fast 2.5 TB solid state data buffer for services tests to 7-year LEO dose mission implementation; • Collaborating with STMD release AFP in for flight on Pathfinder 6U FY19 following cubesat in 2019 1.9U CubeSat Demo Pathfinder flight demo to develop DTE Low Cost • For low-cost support of 200G LEO DTE link by • In early development 3rd party Optical Ground small, high-end “amateur” grade telescopes, • Pathfinder 200G DTE tracking mounts and Software hardware and Station service provider support provided by Gen- • Primary mission-specific OGS would be placed at (via CRADA for 1 OGS (OCTL at JPL) cloud data storage facility; eliminates data user terminal) backhaul while delivering 60 Tb/day total data 3 – 4′ volume to mission Telescope Environmental • Includes 2x100G modem Rx, ground data buffer Enclosure & atmospheric correction system NEAR-EARTH DTE TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS Segment 2017 2018 2019 200G2020 DTE Optical2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 User Terminal SPACE NEAR-EARTH DTE Low Cost Optical DTE Ground Station (LEO Only) GROUND 26 NASA’s Optical Plan Forward:

Deep Space Optical Communications Deep Space Deep

DSOC Gen-1 Optical User Terminal DSOC on Asteroid Mission 2023 125 Mbps from 40M km

DSOC Gen-1 Optical Ground Station NearEarth

DSOC Gen-1 OGS Operations Center

27 Deep Space DTE Technologies

Technology Overview Commercialization Next Steps • Lease of 5 meter Palomar CCSDS HPE-standard DSOC telescope with photon- compliant DSOC Gen- Gen-1 counting SNDA detectors 1 OGS funded by • Optical CCSDS “High Photon Major modules HEOMD/SCaN for Ground Efficiency” standard compliant 2023 ORR Ground-Based (controller electronics, Station system for International cross space switch unit) and 5 kW Uplink support Laser Array sub-components (optical module, • 22 cm aperture terminal, ~ 36 multi-rate modem) DSOC Gen-1 user DSOC kg 100W, Max 531 Mbps now commercially- terminal funded by Gen-1 • CCSDS “High Photon available under FFP STMD/TDM for Optical Efficiency” standard compliant launch on Discovery User system for International cross DSOC Flight 2023 to asteroid Terminal support Laser Psyche Terminal DEEP SPACE DTE TECHNOLOGY DEMONSTRATIONS Segment 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024DSOC Gen2025-1 User 2026 Terminal SPACE DEEP SPACE DSOC Gen-1 OGS DTE GROUND 28 NASA’s Plan for Optical Infusion: …to “GFE” User Terminals to Missions

THE PLAN 200G DTE GFE • Apply STMD & SCaN optical communication technology User Terminal starting investment to Science & Exploration missions to transition Build Quantity: 5 in 2021 optical communications to operations • SCaN provides GFE terminals to NASA missions for or Gen-1 Optical GFE relayed services User Terminal starting • STMD & SCaN provide optical relay & ground stations to Build Quantity: 5 in 2023 return mission data to mission users TARGET FUTURE MISSIONS Science Exploration FY2017 FY2018 FY2019 FY2020 FY2021 FY2022 FY2023 FY2024 FY2025 FY2026 FY2027 GEO GOES-U GOES-V ASCENDS EVM-3 LEO PACE JPSS-3 STP-06 LANDSAT-9 Lunar EM-2 EM-3

Deep Space Discovery/Psyche GFE’d Gen-2 Optical User Technology Demo Terminal

Near-Earth Relay Technology Demo Near-Earth DTE 29 GFE’d 200G DTE Optical User Terminal Deep Space DTE 29 DSOC Technology Demo Commercial Workshop held at NASA HQ Weds, July 12th, 2017

Commercial workshop attendees:  Facebook Connectivity Lab  Google X (Loon) Interoperability Issues for Consideration: Link scenarios/applications • Leveraging of  AT&T Existing standards (e.g., OTN, DVB-S2) •  BridgeSat Wavelength(s) • Acquisition • Modulation •  LaserLight Communications Channel clock • Channel rate variation • Data  L-3 CSW link layer interface • Channel coding, interleaving, and Q-repetition • Physical layer  Fibertek framing • Interface Control Documents (ICDs) •  And 20 other companies…. Interoperability agreements 30 NASA’s Open Call for Commercial Collaboration in Laser Communications

CLOSES on 12/31/2017

“NASA is soliciting proposals from all interested U.S. private sector enterprises that wish to enter into partnerships through Reimbursable Space Act Agreements to develop a Partnership for Commercial Optical Communication Systems (PCOCS).”

• Possible Collaborations: – LCRD Guest Investigator Program – Collaborative technology development and flight demonstrations – Access to NASA’s resources including technical expertise, assessments, lessons learned, and also cross-support for initial demonstrations of commercial systems (e.g., optical ground station support) 31 Questions?

Please feel free to contact me at: Don Cornwell NASA Headquarters SCaN Program Donald.m.cornwell@.gov 202-358-0570 410-336-2473 (cell)