Optical Communications from Low-Earth-Orbiting CubeSats

Rose, Todd S., The Aerospace Corp.; Rowen, Darren W., The Aerospace Corp.; LaLumondiere, Stephen D., The Aerospace Corp.; Werner, Nicolette I., The Aerospace Corp.; Linares, Roberto, The Aerospace Corp.; Wicker, Josef M., The Aerospace Corp.; Maul, Geoffrey A., The Aerospace Corp.; Chien, David H., The Aerospace Corp.; Utter, Alexander C., The Aerospace Corp.; Welle, Richard P., The Aerospace Corp.; Janson, Siegfried W., The Aerospace Corp.; Faler, Addison C., The Aerospace Corp.; Coffman, Christopher M., The Aerospace Corp.

doi:10.1117/3.2618157.ch14

Book: The Nanosatellite Revolution: 30 Years and Continuing

Editor(s): Henry Helvajian; Siegfried W. Janson

Author(s): Todd Rose, Darren Rowen, Stephen LaLumondiere, Nicolette Werner, Roberto Linares, Josef Wicker, Geoffrey Maul, David Chien, Alexander Utter, Richard Welle, Siegfried Janson, Addison Faler, Christopher Coffman

Published: 2023

https://doi.org/10.1117/3.2618157.ch14

Author Affiliations +

Abstract

Small, inexpensive satellite platforms, such as CubeSats, offer opportunities for pathfinder experiments, space qualification of components and systems, and enhancements of larger assets. The trade-off for low-cost and rapid deployment is a sacrifice in performance and lifetime compared to larger, more highly engineered systems. As such, there has been an explosion in the number of CubeSat deployments over the past decade, and as the field matures, more-advanced payloads for global environmental monitoring, sensor development, and surveillance are being implemented on these small platforms.