Session
Advanced Technologies 1
Location
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Abstract
As the already tremendous demand for data transfer in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) grows, Free-Space Optical (FSO) communication has emerged as a critical capability due to high data rates and inherent resilience attributes. However, the operational complexity of FSO, specifically the Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking (PAT) process, requires significant operational planning. The narrow beamwidth of optical terminals requires precise spatial coordination, resulting in latency during link establishment, heavy reliance on scheduled ground-based commanding, and an impediment to agile, responsive, and ad hoc operations.
This paper presents a novel orchestration architecture utilizing Viasat’s L-band space relay network as a persistent, always-on control plane to manage high-bandwidth optical channels. By leveraging a LEO-to-GEO relay, spacecraft maintain continuous, real-time connectivity regardless of ground station proximity. This L-band link serves as the signaling backbone, providing the low-latency state vectors and handshaking protocols necessary to synchronize optical terminals autonomously. Key advantages of this hybrid approach include efficient link acquisition, persistence, operational resilience, and operational flexibility. We also highlight the integration of Viasat’s Multi-Mission Orchestrator (MMO), which automates the scheduling of these multi-layer links to maximize data throughput for next-generation LEO constellations.
Document Type
Event
Leveraging Persistent L-Band LEO-to-GEO Relays for the Orchestration of High-Bandwidth Optical Inter-Satellite Links
Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City, UT
As the already tremendous demand for data transfer in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) grows, Free-Space Optical (FSO) communication has emerged as a critical capability due to high data rates and inherent resilience attributes. However, the operational complexity of FSO, specifically the Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking (PAT) process, requires significant operational planning. The narrow beamwidth of optical terminals requires precise spatial coordination, resulting in latency during link establishment, heavy reliance on scheduled ground-based commanding, and an impediment to agile, responsive, and ad hoc operations.
This paper presents a novel orchestration architecture utilizing Viasat’s L-band space relay network as a persistent, always-on control plane to manage high-bandwidth optical channels. By leveraging a LEO-to-GEO relay, spacecraft maintain continuous, real-time connectivity regardless of ground station proximity. This L-band link serves as the signaling backbone, providing the low-latency state vectors and handshaking protocols necessary to synchronize optical terminals autonomously. Key advantages of this hybrid approach include efficient link acquisition, persistence, operational resilience, and operational flexibility. We also highlight the integration of Viasat’s Multi-Mission Orchestrator (MMO), which automates the scheduling of these multi-layer links to maximize data throughput for next-generation LEO constellations.
