Link architecture and spacecraft terminal for high rate direct to earth optical communications
US9998221B2 · kind B2 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Jan 8, 2016 |
| Grant date | Jun 12, 2018 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Jun 5, 2036 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC H)Electricity
- CPC primaryH04J14/02
- WIPO fieldTelecommunications
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
A satellite in low-Earth orbit (LEO) or medium-Earth orbit (MEO) with a modern image sensor and/or other remote sensing device can collect data at rates of 10 Mbps or higher. At these collection rates, the satellite can accumulate more data between its passes over a given ground station than it can transmit to the ground station in a single pass using radio-frequency (RF) communications. Put differently, the sensors fill the spacecraft's memory faster than the spacecraft can empty it. Fortunately, free-space optical communications signals can carry far more data than RF communications signals. In particular, a spacecraft can transmit over 1 Tb of data in a single pass using burst wavelength-division multiplexed (WDM) optical signals. Each burst may last seconds to minutes, and can include tens to hundreds of WDM channels, each of which is modulated at 10 Gbps or more.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.