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     Government Applications      OPALS
Digital & Coding Fundamentals
A Contemporary Survey on Free Space Optical Communication: Potential, Technical Challenges, Recent Advances and Research Direction
Adaptive Modulation
Bit-Error Rate (BER)
Dynamic Networks (SDN/NFV)
Dynamic/Adaptive Routing
Error Control Coding
Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) & Inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT)
Intersymbol Interference (ISI)
Modulation Schemes
Optical Code Division Multiple Access (OCDMA)
Probabilistic Channel Models
Pulse Code Modulation (PCM)
QoS Fairness
Quadrature Amplitude Modulation (QAM)
Quantum Key Distribution (QKD)
Retransmission
Trellis Coded Modulation (TCM)
FSO Advantages
Advantages of FSO
Discrete Variable Quantum Key Distribution (DV-QKD)
ETOGS
Interception Resistance
Lack of Side Lobes
Low-Receive Footprint
Multiple Smallsat Downlink
Quantum Photonic-Dimer Laser
Spectrum Availability
Speed Comparison: FSO vs Fiber
Transmission ends if signal is blocked
FSO Disadvantages
Atmospheric Interference
Atmospheric Turbulence
Optical Limitations
Physical Limitations
Government Agencies
Advanced Research in Telecommunication Systems (ARTES)
European Space Agency (ESA)
Glenn Research Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
JAXA
JPL
Lincoln Laboratory/NASA Terabyte Infrared Delivery (TBIRD)
Massachusetts Institute of Technology Lincoln Laboratory (MITLL)
NASA
NASA Optical Tech Commercialization Catalog (OTCC)
NICT
OLSG
SCaN
SLIM & XRISM
Space and Missile Systems Center
Space Development Agency (SDA)
The Consultative Committee for Space Data Systems (CCSDS)
The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA)
The German Aerospace Center (DLR)
The National Centre for Space Studies (CNES)
Tranche 0
United States Space Force
UWA Astrophotonics Group
WORK Microwave GmbH
Government Applications
AAC Hyperion (Hyperion Technologies)
Blackjack LEO Constellation
Copernicus
Deep-Space Optical Communications (DSOC) & Psyche Spacecraft
Engineering Test Satellite (ETS)
European Data Relay System (EDRS)
Galileo
GEODSS System
Global Navigation Satellite System (GLONASS)
High-speed Communication with Advanced Laser Instrument (HICALI)
Hodoyoshi-2 (RISESAT)
HydRON
INNOVA
International Space Station (ISS)
James Webb Space Telescope (JWST)
JDRS
Koganei OGS
LCRD
LEO to GEO Downlink
Lockheed Martin
Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD)
NASA
NASA Communications Services Program (CSP)
O2O
OCTL
OICETS
OPALS
OSIRIS
ScyLight
SOCRATES
SOTA
Space Data Highway
Space-Based Infrared System (SBIRS)
Tranche 0
UWA Astrophotonics Group
WGS Expansions
Industry
AAC Hyperion (Hyperion Technologies)
Airbus
Airbus Defence and Space Netherlands (AirbusDS.nl)
Aircision
AMERGINT Technologies
Analytical Space, Inc.
Applied Technology Associates (ATA)
AstroTerrace
ATLAS Space Operations
Attochron
Axiom Space
Ball Aerospace
BlueHalo
BRIDGECOMM, Inc.
CableFree
Cailabs
CEDRAT TECHNOLOGIES
Empower Space Alliance
Fibertek
G&H
H3 Aerospace
Hughes Communications
ITU-R
Kongsberg Satellite Services (KSAT)
L3 CS-WEST
Laser Light Communications, LLC
LGS Innovations
Lockheed Martin
MOSTCOM
Mynaric
NSR
OHB Systems AG
Optiwave
PathFinder Digital LLC
Peraton
SA Photonics
SmartOptics
SmartSAT CRC
Sony
Space Micro Inc.
SpaceLink
SSTL
Swedish Space Corporation (SSC)
TESAT
The Aerospace Corporation
The Netherlands Organization (TNO)
ViaLight Communictions
Vision Engineering Solutions, LLC
WARPSPACE
WORK Microwave
WORK Microwave GmbH
Xenesis, Inc.
York Space Systems
Industry Applications
Adaptive Visual Tracking and Acquisition for VLC
Axiom Space
Conformal VLC Receivers with Photodetector Arrays
GS-200 (ARMADILLO)
GS-400 (RHINO)
Iridium
Laser Communications for Data Transfer over 200 million miles
LEO to GEO Downlink
Luminescent Detector
Optical Frequency Comb Generator (OFCG)
Piezo Tip Tilt Platform for Fast Steering Mirror DTT60SM-SG
Piezo Tip Tilt Platform for Fast Steering Mirror DTT60SM-SG
Project Loon
Quantum Experiments at Space Scale (QUESS)
Sony
Starlink
Telesat LEO
Telstar Satellite
UltraAir
Optical Fundamentals
Adaptive Optics
Aperture Averaging
Areas of Ongoing FSO Research
Coherent Light Sources
Discrete Variable Quantum Key Distribution (DV-QKD)
Eye Safety
Fast Steering Mirrors (FSMs)
Field of View (FOV)
FSO Acronyms
FSO Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO) & Single In Single Out (SISO)
FSO Overview and Key Terms
Heterodyne Detection and Homodyne Detection
Light Scattering
Metamaterials
Mitigation Techniques for FSO
Nonlinear Optics
OGS
Optical Wireless Communications (OWC)
Pointing Stability: Vibration and Sway
Saturation Flux Density (SFD)
Speed of Data Transmission
Wavelength Coherence
Wavelength Division Multiplexing (WDM)
Wavelength Selection
Research & Development
40-Channel Optical Communication Link
5D Ultrafast Imaging
A Contemporary Survey on Free Space Optical Communication: Potential, Technical Challenges, Recent Advances and Research Direction
Alleviation of Jamming in Free Space Optical Communication over Gamma-Gamma Channel with Pointing Errors
Anomalous refraction of optical spacetime wave packets
Australian Optical Ground Station Network (AOGSN)
Capacity Improvement of 3D-OCDMA-PON Hybrid System Next Generation Using Weight Zero Cross Correlation Code
Confining Light in 3-D Space
Continuous Variable QKD (CV-QKD)
Data Combining Schemes for a Detector Array Receiver in Free-Space Optical Communications
Discrete Variable Quantum Key Distribution (DV-QKD)
Enriching Capacity and Transmission of Hybrid WDM-FSO Link for 5G Mobility
Evaluation of a Multimode Receiver with a Photonic Integrated Combiner for Satellite to Ground Optical Communications
Free space laser telecommunication through fog
FSO Multiple In Multiple Out (MIMO) & Single In Single Out (SISO)
FSO to Satellite Communications Using a Kramers-Kronig Transceiver in the Presence of Atmospheric Turbulence
Graphene-Gold Structure to Amplify Terahertz Waves
Laser Excited Atoms Detect Entire Radio-Frequency
LiDAR Machine learning
Lincoln Laboratory/NASA Terabyte Infrared Delivery (TBIRD)
Line of Sight Optical Wireless Communication Architecture
Optical Amplify-and-Forward Relaying
Optical Frequency Comb Generator (OFCG)
Optical Wireless Communications Receiver using Nanostructure Devices
Photon-per-Bit receiver for deep space communications
Quantum Cascade Laser for FSO Communication
Quantum Entanglement for Space-to-Earth Communications
Quantum Photonic-Dimer Laser
SLIM & XRISM
Tranche 0
Research Projects
RF Fundamentals
Adjacent Satellite Interference
Phased Arrays
Spatial Diversity
Satellite Fundamentals
Antena Inteligente
Satellite Fundamentals
Cognitive Diversity Network
Command & Data Handling (C&DH)
Cooperative Diversity
Geostationary Orbit (GEO)
LEO Constellation
LEO to GEO Downlink
Low Earth Orbit (LEO)
Medium Earth Orbit (MEO)
PAT
RF/FSO Default Links
Satellite-to-Ground Links (SGL)
Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR)
Site Diversity
Smart Antennae
Telescope Material Selection
Transportable Optical Ground Station (TOGS)
Technical Applications
Coherent Orthogonal Optical Frequency Division Multiplexing (CO-OFDM)
Elastic Optical Networks (EONs)
Fast Steering Mirrors (FSMs)
FSO Underwater
Global Positioning System (GPS)
High-Speed Train System
LiDAR
Mobile FSO Platforms
OISL
Optical Wireless Home Networks
Quantum Links/Next Gen Encryption
UV Non-Line-of-Sight System

OPALS

Overview

The Optical PAyload for Lasercomm Science (OPALS) is a spacecraft communication instrument developed at JPL and tested on the ISS to demonstrate the technology for laser communications systems between spacecraft and ground stations (OGS) as an alternative to traditional RF communications. [1][2]

Related Links

NASA Slides: OPALS

NASA Article: OPALS launched to space station

Spaceflight 101 Article: OPALS

Data Catalog: OPALS

FSO , Optical Communications , Satellite
Last updated on April 11, 2022