Lasercom Terminals

Optical Physics Company has developed a proof of concept hyperspectral filter front end for a multi-access lasercom terminal. Using a wavelength division multiple access scheme, the hyperspectral telescope can route individual user channels to separate user ports where they can be processed individually. The demonstration unit consists of a 150mm aperture telescope with a 3 stage hyperspectral filter that is capable of supporting up to 8 simultaneous users. This hyperspectral filter front end can enable a multi-access laser terminal to support continuous10-40Gb/s communications with multiple users anywhere within a 2000km diameter area on the Earth surface from a single terminal located at the geosynchronous orbit.

Multiple-access communication links, in which a satellite can communicate with multiple stations dispersed over a large area offers significantly improved performance and operational flexibility. In addition to retaining the lasercom advantages of very high data rate, small terminal size, low cross channel interference, and low probability of detection/probability of intercept, the multi-access lasercom system can provide simultaneous, real-time, high rate data links between various sensor platforms and the operations control center and between several regional control centers. Such a multi-access data network can significantly improve operational capability in an increasingly data-intensive battlefield.