Session
Weekday Poster Session 1
Location
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Abstract
Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) is the next revolution in high-bandwidth satellite-to-earth data transmission. The critical challenge facing the widespread, commercial adoption of FSOC is requirement of a cloud-free line of sight (CFLOS) between the spaceborne asset and the optical ground station (OGS). One solution to this problem is the use of multiple OGSs in a geographically distributed network. Such networks include the European Optical Nucleus Network (EONN) and the Australasian Optical Ground Station Network (AOGSN). To transition from research to commercialization will necessitate an increase in the number of OGSs and their continuous operation. Automation will play a critical role in enabling 24/7 link availability by reducing the number of required operators per OGS. OGS automation will consist of several discrete control loops including: network-wide astronomical seeing comparisons; assessment of local atmospheric conditions to permit operation; short term cloud cover prediction over the satellite pass; calibration of the pointing model; and tracking the asset pass. Fully automated ground stations would enable near-seamless switching between OGS nodes during a pass, further increasing the link time. The work begun at Taiaho is focused on a single-node automation; weather monitoring, cloud predictions, and pass tracking. These goals are achievable through a combination of modern hardware and software, including a state-of-the-art weather and atmospheric turbulence monitoring station (ISM, Miratlas SAS), a direct-drive telescope mount with integrated pointing model (L350, Planewave Instruments Inc.), and a custom software framework linking these with a command-and-control suite.
Taiaho Observatory: An Automated Future Optical Communications Ground Station
Utah State University, Logan, UT
Free Space Optical Communications (FSOC) is the next revolution in high-bandwidth satellite-to-earth data transmission. The critical challenge facing the widespread, commercial adoption of FSOC is requirement of a cloud-free line of sight (CFLOS) between the spaceborne asset and the optical ground station (OGS). One solution to this problem is the use of multiple OGSs in a geographically distributed network. Such networks include the European Optical Nucleus Network (EONN) and the Australasian Optical Ground Station Network (AOGSN). To transition from research to commercialization will necessitate an increase in the number of OGSs and their continuous operation. Automation will play a critical role in enabling 24/7 link availability by reducing the number of required operators per OGS. OGS automation will consist of several discrete control loops including: network-wide astronomical seeing comparisons; assessment of local atmospheric conditions to permit operation; short term cloud cover prediction over the satellite pass; calibration of the pointing model; and tracking the asset pass. Fully automated ground stations would enable near-seamless switching between OGS nodes during a pass, further increasing the link time. The work begun at Taiaho is focused on a single-node automation; weather monitoring, cloud predictions, and pass tracking. These goals are achievable through a combination of modern hardware and software, including a state-of-the-art weather and atmospheric turbulence monitoring station (ISM, Miratlas SAS), a direct-drive telescope mount with integrated pointing model (L350, Planewave Instruments Inc.), and a custom software framework linking these with a command-and-control suite.
