System analysis for optimizing various parameters to mitigate the effects of satellite vibration on inter-satellite optical wireless communication

Abstract

Inter-satellite links are necessary between satellites in orbits around the earth for data transmission between satellites and also for efficient data relay from one satellite to other and then to ground stations. Inter-satellite Optical Wireless Communication deals with the use of wireless optical communication using lasers instead of conventional radio and microwave systems. Optical communication using lasers provide many advantages over conventional radio frequency systems. A major problem existing in this wireless optical communication for inter-satellite links is the effects of satellite vibration, which results in serious pointing errors that degrade the performance. Performance of this system also depends on various parameters like transmitted power, data rate and antenna aperture which are analyzed using OptiSystem simulation software. This paper suggests ways to tackle effects of satellite vibration by optimizing the parameters of system design. The results of this study could be used further to design a feedback loop to correct effects of satellite vibrations in the system.