Tracking and pointing characteristics of OICETS optical terminal in communication demonstrations with ground stations

Abstract

The tracking and pointing performance of the Laser Utilizing Communications Equipment (LUCE) equipped on the Optical Inter-orbit Communications Engineering Test Satellite (OICETS) is presented. The operation characteristics of LUCE observed in the ground-satellite communication demonstrations are focused on. Since the angular movement of LUCE's optical antenna required in the ground-satellite trials exceeds the specification demanded in the inter-satellite communications, the marginal performance for proper tracking and pointing can be observed. During the ground-satellite communication trials, the ground stations found periodical discontinuances in the optical link. By looking at the LUCE's telemetries, the cause of the repeated breaks is revealed.