2024/02/19 by Nicholas J. Rattenbury, Rattenbury, Nicholas J., Joseph Ashby +47 · 1 citation
Engineering · #Advanced Optical Network Technologies #Advanced Photonic Communication Systems #FOS: Physical sciences #Instrumentation and Methods for Astrophysics (astro-ph.IM) #Semiconductor Lasers and Optical Devices
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2402.13282
openalex publication_date 2024/02/19 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Networks of ground stations designed to transmit and receive at optical wavelengths through the atmosphere offer an opportunity to provide on-demand, high-bandwidth, secure communications with spacecraft in Earth orbit and beyond. This work describes the operation and activities of current Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) ground stations in Germany and Australasia. In Germany, FSOC facilities are located at the Oberpfaffenhofen campus of the Deutsches Zentrum fur Luft- und Raumfahrt (German Aerospace Center, DLR), the Laser-Bodenstation in Trauen (Responsive Space Cluster Competence Center, DLR), and the Research Center Space of the University of the Bundeswehr Munich in Neubiberg. The DLR also operates a ground station in Almeria, Spain as part of the European Optical Nucleus Network. The Australasian Optical Ground Station Network (AOGSN) is a proposed network of 0.5 -- 0.7m class optical telescopes located across Australia and New Zealand. The development and progress for each node of the AOGSN is reported, along with optimisation of future site locations based on cloud cover analysis.