Update on the German and Australasian Optical Ground Station Networks

Abstract

Networks of ground stations designed to transmit and receive at visible and infra-red wavelengths through the atmosphere offer an opportunity to provide on-demand, high-bandwidth, secure communications with spacecraft in Earth orbit and beyond. This work describes the operation and activities of current free space optical communications (FSOC) ground stations in Germany and Australasia. In Germany, FSOC facilities are located at the Oberpfaffenhofen campus of the German Aerospace Center (DLR), the Laser-Bodenstation in Trauen (Responsive Space Cluster Competence Center, DLR), and the Research Center Space of the University of the Bundeswehr Munich in Neubiberg. The DLR also operates a ground station in Almería, Spain, as part of the European Optical Nucleus Network (EONN). The Australasian Optical Ground Station Network (AOGSN) is a proposed network of 0.5–0.7 m class optical telescopes located across Australia and New Zealand. The development and progress for each node of the AOGSN is reported, along with optimization of future site locations based on cloud cover analysis.