A Multi-Functional Fiber Laser Lidar for Earth Science & Exploration

A multi-pixel laser altimeter using pseudo-random-noise-modulated fiber lasers has been developed for Climate Change research and Exploration. The architecture supports a wide set of operational parameters (range resolution, range ambiguity interval, temporal update rate) without modifications to the hardware. These parameters can be changed dynamically, based on mission operational needs. The implementation is suitable for orbital and sub-orbital platforms and has reached TRL 6 having flown in a relevant environment over relevant terrain. We will present the status of the instrument development efforts, the results from the on-going field campaign, and notional implementations for Earth Science Decadal Missions and Exploration.