Short-range multi-terminal satellite crosslink communications

The authors introduce a concept for integrating several small lightweight crosslink communication terminals to provide the desired simultaneous communication capability. A suite of three laser communication crosslink terminals which have an impact on satellite size, weight, and power is discussed. The total three terminal suite weight and power are given as 28 lb and 58 W maximum, respectively. The design provides 1-Mb/s point-to-point connectivity over a 9000-km range with a 10^-6 bit error rate, and includes subsystem model control. The communication channel, link acquisition, and cooperative tracking of the optical energy are discussed. The major components are identified, and the technology risk associated with each is assessed. Risk is shown to be minimal