First measurements at the optical ground station in Trauen

Abstract

The market for data-intensive services is flourishing, and more and more data is being transmitted from satellites to Earth. The huge amounts of data from Earth observation and science missions are just two prime examples. As a result of large data transfers, the freely available bandwidth is constantly becoming scarcer, and the frequency of connection issues is increasing. The evolving requirements of next-generation mobile communication networks can be met using Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC). The integration of FSOC offers a flexible and scalable architecture that enables high-rate communication without licenses. Those unique features complement conventional radio-frequency downlinks because of the inherent interference tolerance. Current examples of functioning systems in use are the European Data Relay Satellite (EDRS) system and the miniature satellite PIXL-1, which was used last year to experimentally demonstrate complete end-to-end data transmission by laser, from image acquisition to evaluation on the ground. This year, the RSC3 is starting the first experiments on optical data transmission with the optical ground station (OGS) in Trauen, Germany (LAser-BOdenstation Trauen, LaBoT). The paper presents the status of the station and the first experimental data recorded with it. A review of the last year of operation the station and thus its availability. Measurement data recorded on site are shown in order to obtain a rough estimate of the typical strength of atmospheric turbulence. The first measurements will serve as a starting point to characterize the optical channel and the local environmental conditions on-site. Finally, the link budget with the LEO satellite BIROS is outlined as an example.