Current status of NASA’s Low-Cost Optical Terminal (LCOT) at Goddard Space Flight Center

Robert E. Lafon; Yingxin Bai; Armen Caroglanian; James Dailey; Nikki Desch; Howard Garon; Steve Hall; Ron Miller; Dan Paulson; Haleh Safavi; Predrag Sekulic; John V. Speer; Patrick Thompson; Victoria C. Wu

doi:10.1117/12.2652103

15 March 2023 Current status of NASA’s Low-Cost Optical Terminal (LCOT) at Goddard Space Flight Center

Robert E. Lafon, Yingxin Bai, Armen Caroglanian, James Dailey, Nikki Desch, Howard Garon, Steve Hall, Ron Miller, Dan Paulson, Haleh Safavi, Predrag Sekulic, John V. Speer, Patrick Thompson, Victoria C. Wu

Author Affiliations +

Proceedings Volume 12413, Free-Space Laser Communications XXXV; 124130V (2023) https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2652103
Event: SPIE LASE, 2023, San Francisco, California, United States

Abstract

This paper provides the status of ongoing work at NASA-Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) to build a low-cost flexible ground terminal for optical communication. For laser communication to be cost-effective for future missions, a global network of flexible optical terminals must be put in place. There is a need for a single ground terminal design capable of supporting multiple missions ranging from LEO to lunar distances. NASA’s Low-Cost Optical Terminal (LCOT) has a single modular design that can be quickly reconfigured to support different laser communications missions. The LCOT prototype uses a 70cm commercially available telescope designed with optical and quantum communications in mind. This telescope is currently being integrated with a state-of-the-art adaptive optics system, and novel high-power laser amplifier demonstrate its utility as an optical communications receiver by receiving a downlink from the recently launched Laser Communication Relay Demonstration (LCRD). LCOT uses commercially available components wherever possible, and where commercial options are not available, the LCOT team works with vendors to create commercial options. This paper discusses the development progress for the blueprint of NASA’s future global ground terminal network.

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Robert E. Lafon, Yingxin Bai, Armen Caroglanian, James Dailey, Nikki Desch, Howard Garon, Steve Hall, Ron Miller, Dan Paulson, Haleh Safavi, Predrag Sekulic, John V. Speer, Patrick Thompson, and Victoria C. Wu "Current status of NASA’s Low-Cost Optical Terminal (LCOT) at Goddard Space Flight Center", Proc. SPIE 12413, Free-Space Laser Communications XXXV, 124130V (15 March 2023); https://doi.org/10.1117/12.2652103

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