IOAG.T.OLSG.2012.V1 Interagency Operations Advisory Group Optical Link Study Group Optical Link Study Group Final Report 5 June 2012 Optical Link Study Group (OLSG) Final Report IOAG.T.OLSG.2012.V1 Membership of the Interagency Operations Advisory Group (IOAG) Optical Link Study Group (OLSG) Co-chairmen: Klaus-Juergen Schulz ESA ESOC John Rush NASA HQ Members: Centre National d'Études Spatiales Japan Aerospace Exploration (CNES) Agency (JAXA) Jean-Luc Issler Shinichi Inagawa (Mar. 2012 - Jun. 2012) Tatsuya Mukai (Jan. 2011 - Feb. 2012) Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt (DLR) Korea Aerospace Research Institute Nicolas Perlot (DLR- Institut für (KARI) Kommunikation und Navigation [IKN]) Durk-Jong Park European Space Agency (ESA) National Aeronautics and Space Massimo Bertinelli (ESTEC) Administration (NASA) Robert Daddato (ESOC) Randall Alliss (HQ/Northrop Grumman) Maria Montagna (ESOC) Lena Braatz (HQ/Booz Allen Hamilton) Josep Perdiguez (ESTEC) Kimberly Cashin (HQ/Booz Allen Hamilton) Luitjens Popken (ESTEC) Bernard Edwards (GSFC) Zoran Sodnik (ESTEC) Daniel Felton (HQ/Northrop Grumman) Paul Van Loock (ESTEC) Andrew Fletcher (HQ/MIT Lincoln Igor Zayer (ESOC) Laboratory) Hamid Hemmati (JPL) Karen Jarratt (HQ) Kenneth Perko (HQ) Sabino Piazzolla (JPL) Fabrizio Pollara (JPL) Stephen Townes (JPL) The OLSG would like to thank the following individuals for their contributions to this analysis: Bjoern Guetlich (DLR Space Administration) and Robert Lange (DLR Space Administration/Tesat) for the TerraSar-X and Alphasat descriptions, Andreas Kaufer (European Southern Observatory, ESO) for the La Silla terminal hosting discussion, and Karl Ulrich Schreiber (Bundesamt fuer Kartographie und Geodaesie, BKG) for the Wetzell laser ranging uplink safety and operations concept discussion. Page | 2 Optical Link Study Group (OLSG) Final Report IOAG.T.OLSG.2012.V1 Table of Contents Executive Summary ................................................................................................................... 6 1 Introduction ................................................................................................................... 10 1.1 Charter ...................................................................................................................... 10 1.2 Motivation ................................................................................................................ 10 1.3 Scope ........................................................................................................................ 10 1.4 Methodology ............................................................................................................ 11 2 Space-Earth Mission Scenarios: Basic Concept of Operations ...................................... 13 2.1 Concept of Operations ............................................................................................. 13 2.1.1 Driving Factors in a ConOps .................................................................................. 13 2.2 Mission ConOps ........................................................................................................ 14 2.2.1 Line of Sight .......................................................................................................... 14 2.2.2 Acquisition ............................................................................................................ 16 2.2.3 Data Transfer ........................................................................................................ 17 2.3 Space Link Design ..................................................................................................... 17 2.3.1 Downlink ............................................................................................................... 17 2.3.2 Uplink (Beacon) .................................................................................................... 23 2.3.3 Modulation and Detection ................................................................................... 28 2.3.4 Operating With Small Sun Angles ......................................................................... 28 2.4 ConOps Basic Elements in Any Optical Communications Scenario ......................... 30 2.4.1 Space Terminal ..................................................................................................... 30 2.4.2 Ground Terminal ................................................................................................... 31 2.4.3 Space Relay Terminal ............................................................................................ 32 2.4.4 Mission Operations Center ................................................................................... 32 2.4.5 Weather and Atmospheric Monitoring Equipment ............................................. 33 3 Space-Earth Mission Scenarios ...................................................................................... 37 3.1 Low Earth Orbit (LEO) Scenario ................................................................................ 37 3.1.1 Concept of Operations.......................................................................................... 37 3.1.2 Space Terminal ..................................................................................................... 42 3.1.3 Ground Terminal ................................................................................................... 51 3.1.4 CFLOS Analysis ...................................................................................................... 53 3.1.5 Link Budget ........................................................................................................... 57 3.1.6 Ground Station Cost ............................................................................................. 59 3.1.7 Business Case ........................................................................................................ 60 3.2 Highly Elliptical Earth Orbit (HEO) Scenario ............................................................. 61 3.3 Geostationary Earth Orbit (GEO) Scenario ............................................................... 61 3.4 Lunar Scenario .......................................................................................................... 61 3.4.1 Concept of Operations.......................................................................................... 61 3.4.2 Space Terminal ..................................................................................................... 66 3.4.3 Ground Terminal ................................................................................................... 67 3.4.4 CFLOS Analysis ...................................................................................................... 67 3.4.5 Link Budget ........................................................................................................... 69 3.4.6 Ground Station Cost ............................................................................................. 72 3.4.7 Business Case ........................................................................................................ 72 Page | 3 Optical Link Study Group (OLSG) Final Report IOAG.T.OLSG.2012.V1 3.5 L2 Scenario ............................................................................................................... 72 3.5.1 Concept of Operations.......................................................................................... 72 3.5.2 Space Terminal ..................................................................................................... 73 3.5.3 Ground Terminal ................................................................................................... 75 3.5.4 CFLOS Analysis ...................................................................................................... 76 3.5.5 Link Budget ........................................................................................................... 79 3.5.6 Ground Station Cost ............................................................................................. 80 3.5.7 Business Case ........................................................................................................ 81 3.6 L1 Scenario ............................................................................................................... 81 3.6.1 Concept of Operations.......................................................................................... 81 3.6.2 Space Terminal ..................................................................................................... 81 3.6.3 Ground Terminal ................................................................................................... 82 3.6.4 CFLOS Analysis ...................................................................................................... 82 3.6.5 Link Budget ........................................................................................................... 83 3.6.6 Ground Station Cost ............................................................................................. 85 3.6.7 Business Case ........................................................................................................ 86 3.7 Deep Space Scenario ................................................................................................ 86 3.7.1 Concept of Operations.......................................................................................... 86 3.7.2 Space Terminal ....................................................................................................