Commissioning of the deployable optical ground station at Trauen

Abstract

The demand for satellite links with ever higher bandwidths continues to grow with the market of Earth observation services. Free bands in the microwave spectrum are already a highly limited resource. Thus, optical bands are by now operationally utilized for satellite-to-satellite communications. In parallel, free-space optical communications increase the link security and relieve complex licensing procedures. The same technology holds an immense potential for direct-to-Earth (DTE) downlinks. The optical ground station LaBoT (Laser-Bodenstation Trauen) is built by the RSC³ for Laser-based communication with satellites in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO). When the station turns fully operational, it will connect to terminals that follow the CCSDS standard for Optical On-Off-Keying (O3K). We lay out the station design, show its current implementation state and explain the next steps in commissioning the system. After successful commissioning, the station will extend the actual DLR ground station network by contributing to the overall link availability. Moreover, the station's design enables its relocation to different locations and, thus, allows to investigate differences in the impact of regional atmospheric conditions.