Session
Flash Talks Session 2
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
To allow faster communication between satellites, Radio Frequency (RF) links are being replaced by laser optical links, often called Free-Space Optical Communication (FSO). Each satellite embeds several optical communication terminals (OCT), each one needing two Fast Steering Mirrors (FSM) for laser beam fine and fast steering. Thus, for some giant constellations, the total number of FSM can reach up to 100 000 FSM. This New Space market induces not only technical challenges, such as good SWaP, but also industrial challenges, in particular reproducibility, cost-effectiveness and low cost of ownership vs Orbit segment. To address these various FSM needs, CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES is coordinating the CONECS project, aiming at developing piezo FSM and electronics as New Space COTS for constellations. As a result, P-FSM35XS-NS and P-FSM150S, with CCBu20-NS compact control box have been designed to ensure resistance to launching and in-orbit pointing with angular strokes up to 10mrad, full stroke bandwidth up to 100Hz and a lifetime of up to five years.
Document Type
Event
Included in
Development of Piezo Fast Steering Mirrors for FSO Inter-Satellite Communication
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
To allow faster communication between satellites, Radio Frequency (RF) links are being replaced by laser optical links, often called Free-Space Optical Communication (FSO). Each satellite embeds several optical communication terminals (OCT), each one needing two Fast Steering Mirrors (FSM) for laser beam fine and fast steering. Thus, for some giant constellations, the total number of FSM can reach up to 100 000 FSM. This New Space market induces not only technical challenges, such as good SWaP, but also industrial challenges, in particular reproducibility, cost-effectiveness and low cost of ownership vs Orbit segment. To address these various FSM needs, CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES is coordinating the CONECS project, aiming at developing piezo FSM and electronics as New Space COTS for constellations. As a result, P-FSM35XS-NS and P-FSM150S, with CCBu20-NS compact control box have been designed to ensure resistance to launching and in-orbit pointing with angular strokes up to 10mrad, full stroke bandwidth up to 100Hz and a lifetime of up to five years.
