Optical communications enable low power, secure, and high data rate connections between spacecraft and ground stations. In this talk we will consider how off-the-shelf optical components might be used to complete a link between a lander on the surface of the Moon and a station on Earth.
Despite its advantages, optical communication can be more technically challenging than the radio frequencies that are typically used. Atmospheric scattering and turbulence can contribute to signal losses, and there are significant tradeoffs between smaller beam divergences (higher gains) and pointing errors. Optical receiver modeling and modulation choice are also crucial for determining the ability to close a link. We will explore some of these effects using an analysis performed in a pre-release version of the FreeFlyer astrodynamics suite, and show that a low cost 300 milliwatt lunar link is capable of supporting HD video rate.”
Nathan Griffith, Senior Space Products Software Engineer | a.i. solutions, Inc.
Nathan Griffith is a Senior Space Products Software Engineer working on the FreeFlyer team at a.i. solutions.
Dr. Griffith studied cosmic ray physics at Ohio State, where he received his PhD in 2015. In 2016 he joined LeoLabs, becoming their primary orbit determination engineer. After joining a.i. solutions in 2024 he has been the lead developer for optical communications modeling in FreeFlyer.”