Proceedings of SPIE, the International Society for Optical Engineering/Proceedings of SPIE · 1986 · 28 citations · 0 references
EngineeringAerospace EngineeringSystems EngineeringOpticsOptoelectronicsPhotonicsCommunication LinksControl SystemsLaser PhysicsOptical Communication SystemsServo SystemsTracking SystemsBeam Pointing AccuracyLaser Beam SteeringPointingPointing AccuracyPointing SystemsServo Control SystemsSpace Communication SystemsSpacecraft Pointing
A space-based laser communication system must be capable of high-speed, high-accuracy pointing for reliable communications. Results of recent studies and developments indicate that a pointing, acquisition, and tracking subsystem with these capabilities can be accomplished with current technology. This paper discusses the development of a nested-servo control system and a series of fine-steering mirrors for high-accuracy pointing control. It also presents the results of performance modeling on acquisition and tracking detectors for use with the nested-servo control system.