Ground-to-satellite optical link tests between Japanese laser communications terminal and European geostationary satellite ARTEMIS

TLDR

Optical acquisition, tracking, and communication tests were conducted between a Japanese laser communications terminal at ESA’s Tenerife ground station and the ARTEMIS satellite, evaluating end‑to‑end optical characteristics—including intensity, sensitivity, wavelength, polarization, modulation, and acquisition sequences—under favorable atmospheric conditions. The tests achieved a downlink bit error rate of ~10⁻¹⁰ and an uplink best BER of 2.5×10⁻⁵, with the Japanese terminal autonomously establishing and maintaining a 20‑minute link, demonstrating optical compatibility with ARTEMIS’s payload.

Abstract

Optical acquisition, tracking and communication tests were performed between a Japanese laser communications terminal placed within the ESAs optical ground station at Tenerife, Spain and a European optical payload onboard the ARTEMIS satellite in geostationary earth orbit at 21.5° East. The optical communications tests at Tenerife were to verify the end-to-end optical characteristics such as intensity, sensitivity, wavelength, and polarization, as well as the modulation scheme of optical signals and acquisition sequences of the terminals under fairly good atmospheric conditions. The downlink's bit error rate was on the order of 10^-10 in spite of atmospheric turbulence. Atmospheric turbulence induced signal fading increased the uplink bit error rate, the best value of which was 2.5x10^-5. The Japanese laser communication terminal itself autonomously established and maintained the ground-to-satellite optical link with the ESA's optical payload from the beginning to the end of a 20-minute session. The test results show that the laser communication terminal which is to be launched with the Japanese OICETS satellite is optically compatible with the optical communications payload onboard the European ARTEMIS satellite.