Space-borne communications

Although the Mars Laser Communication Demonstration project was scrapped in

2005, space-borne FSO communications are alive and well.
In 2006, ARTEMIS, the European Space Agency (ESA) Advanced Relay and
Technology Mission Satellite in its geostationary position at 36,000 km altitude,
relayed an optical signal from its SILEX laser link to an aircraft flying at altitudes of 6
and 10 km-a feat equivalent to targeting a golf ball over the distance between Paris
and Brussels.2 "The bandwidth potential for FSO communications is two orders of
magnitude greater than RF or microwave communication," says Stefano Badessi,
applications engineer at ESRIN (Frascati, Italy), the ESA Centre for Earth
Observation (see Fig. 1).
FIGURE 1. An illustration shows a

typical satellite-to-satellite freespace optical communications

application. (Courtesy of European
Space Agency)
Institutions such as the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's (MIT) Lincoln
Laboratory (Lexington, MA) used a superconducting nanowire single-photon
detector (SNSPD) to realize an error-free photon-counting communication link at a
data rate of 781 Mbit/s (the fastest at that time in 2006). "Today, we are in the
process of building a free-space communications system for NASA between a
satellite in lunar orbit and a ground-based telescope array," says Andrew J. Kerman,
technical staff member at MIT Lincoln Laboratory. "This Lunar Laser
Communications Demonstration (LLCD) program will serve as a pathfinder to
illustrate the potential of photon-counting laser communications to NASA. Its ground
receiver will use four quad nanowire arrays and support data rates up to 0.6 Gbit/s
with only a few hundred milliwatts of power at the lunar transmitter." 3
In addition to improved detection schemes, source wavelength and modulation
format are also critical to successful FSO communications. 4 Scientists at Discovery
Semiconductors (Ewing, NJ) in partnership with several other research groups built
a satellite FSO communications system that transmits 10.7 Gbit/s at 1.55 m over a
distance of several tens of thousands of kilometers using return-to-zero differential
phase-shift keying (DPSK) modulation.
"The German satellite TerraSAR-X carries a coherent optical high-speed
communications terminal as secondary payload, built by Tesat-Spacecom
[Backnang, Germany], under DLR contract," says Hennes Henniger at the German
Aerospace Center (DLR; Wessling, Germany). The terminal transmits at 5.6 Gbps
up to 6000 km in space with 700 mW transmit power using coherent binary phaseshift keying (BPSK) homodyne reception, and has been used to successfully
demonstrate inter-satellite links with the LEO satellite NFIRE and downlinks to
ground stations.5
Closer to home, DLR spinoff ViaLight Communications (Gilching, Germany)
specializes in FSO networks from the ground tounmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs),
aircraft, or high-altitude platforms. These compact and "mobile" FSO networks have
typical 1 Gbit/s speeds with 100 km reach (see Fig. 2). But unlike the vacuum of
space, terrestrial FSO networks are challenged by ever-changing atmospheric
conditions.

FIGURE 2. FSO networks enable

communication between a mobile
ground post and an unmanned
aerial vehicle [UAV; (a)]. (Courtesy
of ViaLight Communications). The
laser terminals continue to shrink
in size for agile communications
(b). (Courtesy of German
Aerospace Center DLR)
Terrestrial links
"Originally developed for secure military communications, FSO networks have
improved tremendously and continue to leverage their 'covert' strengths," says Heinz
Willebrand, CEO of LightPointe (San Diego, CA) (see Fig. 3). "Typical FSO beam
divergence is on the order of 2-5 mrad; translation: the beam spot is only 2-5 m at a
1 km distance compared to a radio antenna that can spread out the signal over 100
m or more at the same distance. Also, there is an enormous amount of 'free'
spectrum available in the optical communications band. While unlicensed and
licensed RF and microwave systems up to roughly 40 GHz typically operate over
spectrum bands that are very limited in size-20, 30, 50 MHz, for example-the
spectrum available in the optical communications band exceeds several 100 GHz!"
LightPointe's FSO systems operate at speeds up to 1.25 Gbit/s in full-duplex mode
using multiple transmitters and receivers. "This increases not only the power we can

launch from the terminal but also increases the overall receive lens surface while
minimizing the impact of 'heat shimmer' or 'scintillation' that can negatively impact
the bit-error-rate [BER] performance of longer-distance FSO systems," adds
Willebrand.
Indeed, while many terrestrial FSO systems use single-laser sources between 780
and 850 nm, multisource systems can improve transmission when atmospheric
turbulence causes scintillation and fading or when clouds and aerosols cause
scattering and pulse broadening. "For FSO systems operating outdoors, we have
developed mitigation techniques incorporating multiple transmit lasers and multiple
receive apertures," says Mohsen Kavehrad, W.L. Weiss professor of electrical
engineering at Pennsylvania State University (University Park, PA). 6 "The main
concept of these MIMO [multi-input multi-output] systems is to use the spatial
diversity available from scintillation prevalent in long links, to improve received
signal-to-noise ratio and BER. As a result, it is possible to sustain longer links with
the same amount of power used by a single-input single-output [SISO] system."
Kavehrad adds, "Adaptive optics is another solution to compensate for phase
perturbation on long-distance links."

FIGURE 3. Free-space optical

(FSO) communications have
evolved significantly; bulky
equipment for simple pointto-point audio
communication in the 1960s
(a) has evolved into compact,
ruggedized, and portable

instrumentation (b).
(Courtesy of LightPointe)
Boston Micromachines (BMC; Cambridge, MA) offers both microelectromechanical
systems (MEMS) deformable mirrors for aberration correction and MEMS
modulating retroreflectors (MRRs) for FSO covert communication and remote
sensor integration. Originally developed for a DARPA coherent laser communication
project, their Kilo-DM deformable mirror has 1020 actuators controlled to <1 nm of
precision with no hysteresis. "The Kilo-DM can pre-correct for distortions present in
the beam path as well as correct for defects in the optical systems used to transmit
or receive data," says Michael Feinberg, director of product marketing at BMC. And
applicable to both terrestrial and space-borne applications, BMC's MRR uses a
MEMS modulator mounted in a corner-cube retroreflector for asymmetric FSO
communications at 180 kHz transmission speeds (see Fig. 4). "The term
'asymmetric' essentially means 'one way': in this case, our MRR receives an
interrogating beam and modulates the reflected beam to transmit information," says
Feinberg. "Bidirectional communication is also possible if beams are projected from
two nodes with corresponding MRRs at each node."
MRV Communications (Chatsworth, CA), who has installed more than 8000
terrestrial FSO links, uses multiple 100 mW infrared transmitters in its TereScope
system and an 8 in. diameter receiver for data rates up to 10 Gbit/s at distances up
to 5.5 km in a variety of weather conditions. In light rain and haze, transmission
signals typically see 3 dB/km attenuation values that increase to 17 dB/km for
cloudbursts and medium snow, and are as high as 30 dB/km in the presence of
steady rain, a blizzard, or light fog.
Longer wavelengths, longer reach
"Because Rayleigh scattering diminishes with increasing wavelength, a 10 m
wavelength source offers significantly less scattering than a 1.55 m wavelength,"
says Kumar C. Patel, CEO at Pranalytica (Santa Monica, CA). Patel references a
Stevens Institute of Technology (Hoboken, NJ) study that showed 2X to 3X greater
transmission during fog formation and after a short rain event (that reduced visibility
to approximately 1 km) using an FSO system with an 8.1 m source compared to
using conventional 1.3 and 1.5 m sources.7 "We are working on FSO
communications using mid-infrared [mid-IR] radiation sources-specifically quantumcascade [QC] lasersand developing new detection systems that allow for easy

demodulation of the signal," says Rainer Martini, director of the Laboratory for
Ultrafast Spectroscopy and Communications at Stevens Institute of Technology.
Daylight Solutions (San Diego, CA) is also exploring the functionality of FSO
communications using mid-IR QC lasers through a collaboration with San Diego
State University. While these 3-12 m sources are excellent at identifying the
spectral "fingerprint" of atmospheric molecules, FSO transmission is only successful
if the launch wavelength avoids the atmospheric absorption lines of water vapor,
CO2, and pollution or other common atmospheric molecules. "For this reason, longer
wavelengths between 8 and 12 m are considered optimal candidates for nextgeneration terrestrial FSO communications networks," says Sam Crivello, senior
scientist at Daylight Solutions. "Our tunable external-cavity QC lasers allow the user
to tune to a window in a dynamically changing atmosphere to avoid the interference
of pollutants and water, for full-duplex communications with high baud rates and very
low BERs using wavelength-division multiplexing techniques."
Undersea challenges, future terrestrial promises
In early 2010, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution (WHOI; Woods Hole, MA)
developed an optical/acoustic undersea communications system that transports data
over a visible-light beam at 1-10 Mbit/s data rates at 100 m distances from
untethered remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) to surface ships or laboratories.
Acoustic communications then take over at distances beyond 100 m.
FIGURE 4. A
microelectromechanical-systems
(MEMS)-based modulating
retroreflector uses a MEMS
modulator mounted in a hollow
corner cube retroreflector for
passively reflecting and modulating
an interrogating laser source. The
far-field intensity of the reflected
interrogating beam is modulated
by switching between a flat and
diffractive state. By alternating
between the unpowered and

powered state, data can be sent

from the modulator to the
interrogator at high speeds.
(Courtesy of Boston
Micromachines)
From satellite-to-satellite links in space to undersea ROV exploration, FSO
communications will thrive as transmit/receive technologies improve and new
applications emerge. "FSO is still a niche market with most applications in the
enterprise/building-to-building connectivity space," says Willebrand of LightPointe.
"However, next-generation mobile wireless networks will have to provide a lot of
access capacity to a single handset/smart phone and to do this, distances between
microcell sites are coming down to below 500 m-exactly the 'sweet spot' for highcapacity FSO systems," he adds. "The deployment of FSO technology in mobile
wireless backhaul networks should boost the overall total addressable market for
FSO quite dramatically."
Already, companies like fSONA (Richmond, BC, Canada) are deploying their 1550
nm eye-safe SONAbeam FSO networks to support wireless backhaul and
broadband applications. "Every year, the fiber-optics industry invests billions of
dollars developing new components and subsystems for the 1550 nm region," says
fSONA CTO Paul Erickson. "1550 nm diode lasers that operate at 2.5 Gbit/s are
already available, with 10 Gbit/s devices beginning to appear. In addition to higher
possible speeds, the output power for 1550 nm FSO systems is up to 50X higher
than for 800 nm systems, allowing operation over longer distances and/or through
heavier fog attenuation with greater reliability."
Underwater laser communication is a technique that employs laser propagation under water
to transmit data from one point to another. The technology is useful where physical
connections through fibre optic cables are impractical due to high costs or other
considerations.
Free Space Optics (FSO) technology is based on connectivity between FSO-based optical
wireless terminals, each consisting of an optical transceiver to provide full duplex (bidirectional) communication functionality. Each optical wireless terminal uses an optical
source (laser LED) and a telescope that transmits light through the atmosphere to the
receiver. The receiver consists of an optical system and an opto-electronic front end that, in
turn, comprises a pin photodiode or avalanche photodiodes, which convert the optical input
into an electrical output.

FSO technology for high-speed and secure data transmission was originally developed by
the US military and NASA. It has been used for more than three decades in various forms
to provide fast communication links in remote locations. Over the years, FSO technology has
gained acceptance in the telecommunication industry, particularly in the enterprise campus
networking environment. Due to the enormous bandwidth capabilities of FSO transmission
and the worldwide unlicensed nature of the transmission spectrum, FSO technology has
enormous potential for short-distance wireless connections.
Apart from the obvious advantages of the high rates of laser communication underwater,
such transmission is also inexpensive, immune to jamming and has a low signal-to-noise
ratio. However, line-of-sight is a major disadvantage. The basic concept of laser
communication between two computers, both in free space and under water, is more or less
the same. However, factors that impact performance underwater, like water salinity and
turbidity, have to be taken into consideration.
In this article, design of the actual concept of underwater communication is proposed to be
configured around green laser module that is intensity modulated by the intelligence signal
to be transmitted. On the receiver side, a suitable photo-sensor-based circuit is used to
demodulate the signal. On the transmitter and receiver side, the computer interface is
through RS-232. The data file to be transmitted is converted into a serial bit stream, and
then used to modulate the laser through the RS-232 serial interface. On the receiver side,
the laser beam is detected and the serial bit stream is recovered. The bit stream is
converted back to the desired format in the PC. The latter part of the article covers the
advantages of laser communication over optical communication under water, and also
discusses the emerging concepts and their implementation.
Operational methodology
The following section covers the operational principle of underwater laser communication
links. The proposed communication setup comprises five major elementsthe source of the

data to be transmitted (in this case, the PC), the transmitter, communication channel,
receiver and the data receiving terminal (PC).

Fig. 1: The transmitter block schematic

Fig. 2: The receiver block schemati

Transmitter
The data file in the PC, which is to be transmitted to another remote PC, is first converted
into a serial bit stream in RS/EIA232 format with the help of hyper terminal software that
comes with MS Windows and is available on the PC.
In the next step, this serial bit stream (representing data) is converted into TTL compatible
pulses with the help of integrated circuit (IC) MAX232. This is a dual EIA232 driver/receiver.
It has two on-chip independent EIA232-to-TTL/CMOS drivers and two on-chip independent
TTL/CMOS-to-EIA232 receivers. On the transmitter side, one of the receivers has been used
to convert the EIA232 bit stream into
equivalent 5-volt TTL/CMOS-compatible
pulses.
The TTL-compatible output pulses are then
fed to a non-inverting adder circuit configured
around the low- noise op-amp LM324. The
other input to the adder is a DC voltage,
which can be adjusted from approximately
Fig. 3: Laser communication for naval
0.5 volt to 1.7 volts. The magnitude of TTL
applications
pulses is also adjustable. This is required to
get the desired magnitude of the drive current through the laser diode. This circuit is part of
the overall laser diode driver circuit.
The output of this circuit feeds a constant current source driver circuit configured around the

op-amp LM324 and an npn Darlington transistor. The magnitude of constant current is given
by the voltage appearing at terminal 3 of this op-amp and the value of resistance RE.
The laser source used is a diode pumped solid state laser operating at 532 nm (green) with
an output power of 10 mW. Green laser is used for underwater laser communication links,
as it has the least attenuation in water. The proposed high-power green laser, which
combines high power and high brightness with low signal noise at high repetition rates, has
a great potential.
The current drive to the laser varies between two values corresponding to the low and high
levels of the TTL pulse stream. As a result, the laser beam gets intensity modulated, i.e., its
intensity or power gets modulated. It is a type of pulse amplitude modulation. The
modulated laser beam is transmitted towards the receiver. The laser communication needs
line-of-sight conditions, i.e., the transmitter and receiver should be in line-of-sight.
Receiver
The modulated laser beam falls on the photo diode (type FND100). FND100 is a silicon PIN
photo diode. The corresponding current signal generated by the photo diode is converted
into an equivalent voltage signal, which is then amplified in a non-inverting amplifier circuit
configured around op-amp AD829a high-speed, high- bandwidth op-amp.
The amplified signal is then fed to a voltage comparator configured around op-amp
comparator LM319, which is a high-speed dual comparator. One of the two comparators
available on the chip has been used here. The comparator output is a TTL compatible pulse
stream representing data.
This pulse stream is then fed to a TTL buffer of non-inverting type (SN 74LS244). 74LS244
is a hex non-inverting buffer. Three buffers are used in parallel for higher current drive
capability. The buffer output feeds the TTL/CMOS input of one of the drivers in the MAX232
converter. The corresponding EIA232 output feeds the PC through the serial port. The hyper
terminal software in the PC converts the EIA232 bit stream back to a data file, which is
stored in the memory and is available on the desktop.
Laser communicationadvantages and applications
Fibre-optic communication can be implemented for a longer distance underwater as
compared to a laser system since distortion is much higher underwater than in free space,
but underwater laser communication gives us the distinct advantage of flexibility. Fibre-optic
communication can only be done where the optical fibre communication setup is available
and installed. Two submarines can easily transfer data anywhere in real time using an
underwater laser system, just by establishing line-of-sight.

Fig. 4: Satellite-to-submarine communication

Fig. 5: An interplanetary TV lin

Laser communication represents a mature, reliable approach for broadband access. Such
systems have been engineered to provide robust performance that is highly competitive
with other access approaches, offering high capacity, excellent availability of 99.9 per cent,
lowest cost per bps, and rapid deployment in less than one hour. The use of an encoder and
decoder allows the development of secure communication links. Secure optical
communication links are being extensively used in the defence industry to transmit secret
information. These systems are compatible with a wide range of applications and markets,
and are sufficiently flexible to be easily implemented using a variety of different
architectures. Because of these features, market projections indicate healthy growth for
optical wireless sales.
Microwaves cannot be used for underwater laser communication as they do not penetrate
through water. Very-low-frequency sound waves transmit through water but they cannot
enable high rates of data transfer. Blue-green lasers penetrate through water and are used
for high-speed communication applications.
Inter-satellite links employ infrared laser beams for transmitting data from satellite to
satellite. Lasers are used, as they do not suffer from attenuation in space and do not have
precise pointing requirements.
The application potential of laser communication is expanding at a brisk pace and many new
uses are emerging. Laser communication is also being used for satellite-to-satellite links,
satellite-to-submarine communication and interplanetary TV links.
Emerging trends in laser communication
Satellites can be used to communicate with many submarines that are submerged in sea
water at depths of 100 metres or so. This would eliminate the need for submarines to come
to the surface to establish communication, which would reduce their vulnerability. This
concept is highlighted in Fig. 4. Satellites in geostationary orbit transmit a large number of
narrow blue-green laser beams to create random spots on the ocean, with each beam
transmitting encrypted data. A large number of spots are generated, creating empty
positions so as not to give away the location of the submarines. Blue-green laser is used for
maximal penetration in sea water.
The concept of the interplanetary TV link is shown in Fig. 5. The setup makes use of a
satellite orbiting around a planet, with which the link has to be established, and a satellite

moving in a geostationary orbit around the earth. The planetary satellite makes use of a
low-power laser to transmit signals. The earth-orbiting satellite will have a sensor to receive
the optical signal, process it and convert it into microwave signals. The signal is converted
from the optical spectrum to the microwave spectrum, as the optical signals do not
penetrate clouds and are highly attenuated by rain. The conversion therefore allows the
establishment of a non-interruptive link, which enables the monitoring of events happening
on different planets on a real-time basis.
Underwater laser communication is an immensely interesting and attractive research topic
for scholars and academics. Many advanced countries around the world are trying to
successfully implement the technology for military purposes. Successful implementation of
this technology for long- distance use is a challenging and uphill task; however, if achieved,
it will be a major step forward in the field of communication.
The author is a technical editor trainee with Wiley Publications

Free Space Optical (FSO)

TriLuminas enabling Light Engine technology offers

a rare opportunity to exploit the convergence of an enormous and growing demand for bandwidth and
data transfer.
TriLuminas free space optical (FSO) solutions provide end users with multiple communication solutions
previously unavailable.

TriLumina Light Engine technology expands a payload of configurations on existing platforms, enabling
remote sensor placement without re-wiring or RF constraints. TriLumina technology also permits RF
isolation and noiseless operations. Vehicles could conceivably go silent in a full optical environment.
TriLumina Light Engines are also capable of delivering incredibly large amounts of data (over 10 gigabits
per second) over optical links or beams of light. Smart phones, displays, televisions, laptops, hard drives
and other networked devices can connect and communicate wirelessly at extremely high speeds.

10Gbps LOS IR Free Space Optical Communications

NASA Announces Retirement of TDRS-4 Communications
Satellite
May 9, 2012
0

Image Caption: TDRS satellite of the second generation. Credit: NASA

Listen Later

Listen To Article

After more than two decades of service, NASA on Wednesday announced that their Tracking and Data
Relay Satellite 4 (TDRS-4) had completed its mission and was being retired from active service.
According to a statement released from the US space agency, the communications satellite had
completed nearly 23 years of operational support far more than the 10 year operational life span it
had been designed for and that it had successfully completed end-of-mission deorbiting and
decommissioning activities.
TDRS-4, which was been launched in March 1989, operated in geosynchronous altitude, some 22,000
miles above the Atlantic Ocean, before it was decommissioned in November 2011. It was forced out of
action after losing one of three Nickel-Cadmium (24 cell) batteries and experiencing reduced storage
capacity for the remaining two. In order to retire the satellite, the excess fuel needed to be depleted,
the batteries disconnected, and the Radio Frequency Transmitters and receivers powered down, in
order to prevent future interference with other vehicles.
This is the second retirement from within the fleet of TDRS, NASA said. The fleet of seven remaining
satellites operates through a supporting ground system and together they make up the Space Network
(SN). The SN provides highly automated, user-driven services supporting customer spacecraft with
tracking and data acquisition. The network supports a varied number of missions, including the
International Space Station, Hubble Space Telescope, launch vehicles, and a variety of other science
missions.
It also provided primary communication support to the recently-retired space shuttle program.
The Space Network spacecraft engineering and operations teams worked together very effectively to
execute a practically flawless decommissioning of an incredible satellite, Mike Rackley, SN deputy
project manager at the Goddard Space Flight Center, said in a statement. TDRS-4 made great and
important contributions to NASAs human spaceflight and science missions. We will certainly miss her.
Read more at http://www.redorbit.com/news/space/1112531291/nasa-announces-retirement-of-tdrs-4-

Free Space Optical Communication Systems

are used for transmitting of analog and digital signals with speed up to 5.6 Gbps in infrared bands

Solutions for:

Internet Service Providers. Video-Multimedia. Military communications .

National Telecommunications . Multiple building connections . Universities .

Airoports . Airplane - geostationary satellite laser communication.

Data rates of 5.6 Gbps are being demonstrated over laser communication link between

of low earth orbit TerraSAR-X and NFIRE satellites.

Advantages:

No licensing required,. Full duplex at high data rates. Secure data transmission.

Easy to relocate links. No need to dig up roads for cables.

No cross-talk or electromagnetic interference. Immune to EMI and RFI.

Indoor or outdoor installation. Bit error rate less than 10E-9.

Immediate installation and connectivity.

What is better?

- Fibre optical communication systems ( FO )

- Air ( space) optical communication systems ( AO )

- Radio frequency communication systems ( RF )

Bit Rates:

RF: 10-150 Mbps / channel.

FO: 10 Mbps 80 Gbps ( N x Tbps if we use Dense-Wavelength-Division-Multiplexing).

AO: 10 Mbps 5.6 Gbps / channel.

Air laser communication systems - decision of Last mile problem Advantages: No licensing required, secure data
transmission, no need to dig up roads for cables.

Is it possible laser communication from ground to space ? What is influence of atmosphere at the directions ground space or space - ground ?

Laser communication program of ESA

For several years ESA developed laser communication program for communication between low earth orbital (LEO)
and geostationary (GEO) satellites.

The Optical ground station was constructed at Teide

observatory, Tenerife, Canary Islands for laser
communication experiments from ground to geostationary
(GEO) satellites.

experiments with GEO

The SPOT-4 LEO satellite was launched in 1998 with laser

communication terminal aboard for communication
satellite.

In 2000 year we performed calculation and made an opinion, that similar laser communication experiments with GE
satellite possible using ordinary astronomical telescopes of our observatory.

ESA telecommunication satellite ARTEMIS was launched on 12 July 2001. He has RF channels and SILEX dev
(Semiconductor Laser Inter Satellite Link Experiment) that works at 2 Mbps and 50 Mbps rates.

propulsion system (www.esa.int).

After its launch ARTEMIS was placed onto degraded o

due to a multifunctions in Ariane 5 upper stage. After
correction of the orbit ARTEMIS placed to parking circ
orbit
(h=31000km).
Experiments
with
opt
communication system SILEX at parking orbit w
successfuly performed in November 2001 . After t
ARTEMIS
was
spirally
moved
to
the nom
geostationary orbit using the satellites electrical

In June 2002 specialists of ESA visited our observatory. After matching of calculations and discussing during visit
showed, that the same experiments of receiving-transmitting the information by laser communication channel
investigation of atmosphere influence at the propagation of laser beam between geostationary satellite and the gro
station can be performed using common astronomical telescopes and semiconductor laser transmitting system.

It is clear now, that it is possible compare the differences in atmosph

propagation of laser beam between Atlantic (ESA OGS) region and continental (M
region. Also it will be possible to investigate the amplitudes and phases of opt
pulsed signals in different atmosphere conditions; investigate the fluorescence
scattering on aerosols.

MAO has agreement of ARTEMIS managers about our participation in opt

communication experiments with ARTEMIS satellite. National Space Agency
Ukraine (NSAU) supported this participation.

In January 31, 2003 geostationary satellite ARTEMIS ESA with laser terminal abo
was put into the planed orbit point of geostationary orbit above 21.5 E. Nowad
sessions of transmitting of information by laser channel from low-orbital SPOT-4
ARTEMIS satellite with next retranslation of the data by radio channel to the ground sta
are performing regularly. Laser communication experiments between ARTEMIS satellite
optical ground station (OGS) ESA at Canary Islands are performing also.

Japanese Space Agency also participates in ESA laser communication program. NASD
prepared the LEO satellite OCIETS with LUCE laser communication terminal aboard for transmitting of information onto
ARTEMIS satellite.

In September 2003 LUCE terminal was tested at ESA OGS and successfully performed laser communication session
with ARTEMIS satellite. These experiments proved our calculations and our technical solutions of preparing laser
communication experiments from ground to space using semiconductor lasers. (www.nasda.gov.jp)

The low-orbital satellite OCIETS with LUCE terminl of Japanese Space

Agency was launched in August 2005 by Ukrainian rocket " Dnipro ".

ESA and NASA plan the experiments of laser communication from Moon and Mars orbits.
SMART-1 satellite near the Moon.

Our preparation to optical communicational experiments with

geostationary satellite

MAO performs the preparation to test experiments with ARTEMIS satellite using two telescopes: 0.7 m ordinary
astronomical telescope and 1m Laser Ranging Station (LRS). The purpose of the experiments with ground stations is to
compare differences in atmosphere propagation of laser beams between Atlantic and continental regions, investigate th
amplitudes, phases of optical pulsed signals in different atmosphere conditions, perform wave front measurements,
scattering on aerosols and small clouds, investigate fluorescence in upper atmosphere.

AZT-2, 0.7 m reflector astronomical telescope.

CW laser module

CW laser test experiments

A scattering of laser beam on aerosols[watch

the movie]

Realisation of laser communication experiments with ARTEMIS satellit

Realisation of laser communication experiments is performed under the ESA contract "Assessment of Space to Ground
Optical Link by Space Diversity". Equipment for laser communication experiments was developed for Cassegrain focus o

AZT-2 telescope.

Telecommunication satellite ARTEMIS was launched on 12 July 2001. It was at the geostationary orbit point (21E) at th
end of January 2003. Due to a multyfuntions in Ariane 5 upper stage ARTEMIS has inclination of the orbit (Now > +/- 7
deg). Spacial correction system of moving of the telescope was developted.

Block of correction of moving of AZT-2 telescope for tracking of the satellite

The tracking system works in micro-step regime with a computer step of correction = 0.003 arcsec per second of time
a maximum speed of correction up to 4.6 arcsec per second of time. The step regulation is possible directly from block
correction situated near the telescope. Also it is possible to correct the moving of the telescope using the computer RS485 interface in remote mode.

The pointing on the satellite is performed by CMOS camera (2000x3000 pix) with wide field of view. Another cooled sm
CCD camera (582x752 pix) with narrow field of view is used for tracking purposes.

Common view of the technology platform with main subsystems in Cassegrain focus o
the 0.7m telescope

Electronic block for thermoelectric cooling of laser diode

Laser module with thermoelectric stabilisation of laser diode. Wavelength is 850 nm.

CMOS-camera testing
SAO105233 star (8m) and others. Fainting star is 17.3m. CMOS-camera without cooling in Cassegrain focus (10.5 m) o
AZT-2 telescope. 30 sec exposure. Observers: V.
Kuz'kov, S. Borysenko

ARTEMIS and a star track. CCD camera and 1-second exposure

Tracking of ARTEMIS. CCD camera and 5-second exposure.

For testing of tracking the calculations of middle photometric positions and fluctuations on X, Y coordinates of images o
ARTEMIS were performed. The results of calculations of satellite images with an exposure of 5 second show that standa
root mean square deviation along X coordinate is 0.65 arcsec and along Y coordinate is 0.4 arcsec during 3 minutes o
time for the set of images.

FIRST LASER EXPERIMENTS WITH ARTEMIS SATELLITE

Our work has been performed with an amount of support from The European Space Research and Technology
Centre ESTEC and REDU SPACE Services station.

First laser experiments with ARTEMIS were performed on 9th and 10th of November 2008. We had 3 sessions fo
minutes of beacon scanning each night. We received the beacon signal during all the scanning time. First maximu
beacon signal was received 15 seconds after the beacon was turned on. The second maximum was seen 19 secon
after. We sent laser beam to the ARTEMIS direction during all last session.

ARTEMIS before start of beacon. CCD2 camera, exposure 0.05 sec

Start of beacon (Gaussian filter). CCD2 camera, exposure 0.05 sec

First maximum beacon. CCD2 camera, exposure 0.05 sec

Second maximum beacon. CCD2 camera, exposure 0.05 sec

ARTEMIS laser beacon observations

A short movie featuring ARTEMIS laser beacon observations. [watch the movie]

During the sessions of 26 October 2011 (19:00 UTC, 20:00 UTC, 21:00 UTC) the sky was partly clouded. Weath
conditions were unstable and we recorded these sessions automatically. We were browsing the images of those
sessions and found that the beacon was visible through clouds. By this means, it is possible to observe the beacon
through the clouds and, accordingly, laser communication link through thin clouds can also be established.

communications-sat
ellite/#3W7VWoVxW7Q8mrA1.99

Another milestone in Pakistan-China friendship is around the corner as both

countries are set to launch a joint space communication satellite this year. The
agreement to set up the joint satellite communication project called Pasksat-1R was
signed in 2008 in the presence of Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and his
Chinese counterpart President Hu Jintao.
The hallmark of joint venture will be launched on August 14, 2011, the
Independence Day of Pakistan.
The new communication satellite which will replace the currentPAKSAT-1 will
support all conventional and modern Fixed Satellite Service (FSS) applications. The
satellite will have a total of up to 30 transponders: 18 in Ku-band and 12 in C-band.
To ensure high degree of reliability/availability of the system, two fully redundant
Satellite Ground Control Stations (SGCS) would be established in Karachi and
Lahore, one to act as the Main and the other as Backup respectively.
Paksat 1R will have 26 transponders which will carry dozens of digital TV channels.
The PakSat-1R contract is the third communications satellite contract signed by
China's space industry with international customers.

Fifth generation Free Space

Optics technology, from the
pioneer in optical
transmission

AireBridge Brochure (PDF will

open in new window)

Industry-leading
2 YEAR
WARRANTY

LightPointe's 5th generation Free Space

Optics solutions provide Carriers,
Businesses and Government Agencies
the capability to quickly connect two or
more buildings without regulatory
licenses. Our next-generation software
defined laser technology has been
developed and refined for over 16
years. In fact, LightPointe's CEO, Dr.
Heinz Willebrand, is one of the key
pioneers in developing the core
Dr. Heinz Willebrand is an
technology and critical patents in the
author of the best selling book
free space optics sector.
on Free Space Optics
Simply put, no other Free Space Optics
transmission company has more
experience. Dr. Willebrand has been
widely acclaimed for increasing the
reliability/availability and performance of
laser systems to a level at which they
are now used in 3G and 4G carrier
networks with up to "5 nines" availability.
Whether you are connecting buildings in

(available on Amazon.com)

a university/campus setting, or
connecting cellular towers for mobile
LTE traffic, LightPointe's next
generation FSO solutions provide
throughout at the speed of light, and
cannot be intercepted.

Benefits of Free Space

Optical transmission technology
from LightPointe:

LightPointe is the pioneer in FSO

technology, inventing many of the
key patents in the space. No other
company has more experience in
FSO transmission.

Broadest FSO product line in the

industry (a solution for any
Enterprise or Carrier laser
application).

Laser/FSO transmission cannot be

intercepted. It is ideal for sensitive
financial, government, medical and
video security applications.

All products are designed and

manufactured in the United States
at LightPointe's headquarters. If
there is a manufacturing or other
issue, senior management is
imediately available.

LightPointe offers the industry's

only active tracking four-beam
solution. This system eliminates
mis-targeting and provides parallel
beam redundancy, solving problems
of first generation FSO systems
such as a bird flying through the
path. Transmit and receive tracking
maintains 100% dead-on beam
targeting, due to a larger virtual
transmit aperture. The system can
adapt to changes in the weather,
maximizing availability under all
conditions.

LightPointe offers exclusive

automatic power level control
(APC), eliminating short distance
optical saturation found in first
generation systems.
TV Program: "Beams of the

100% Class 1m eye safe

technology.

Future" (1969)

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Free Space Optics Technology

Imagine a technology that offers full-duplex Gigabit Ethernet
throughput. A technology that can be installed license-free worldwide,
and can be installed in less than a day. A technology that offers a fast,
high ROI. That technology is free-space optics (FSO). This line-of-sight
technology approach uses invisible beams of light to provide optical
bandwidth connections. It's capable of sending up to 1.25 Gbps of data,
voice, and video communications simultaneously through the air
enabling fiber-optic connectivity without requiring physical fiber-optic
cable. It enables optical communications at the speed of light. And it
forms the basis of a new category of products optical wireless
products from LightPointe, the recognized leader in outdoor wireless
bridging communications. This site is intended to provide valuable
background and resource information on FSO technology. Whether
you're a student, an engineer, account manager, partner, or customer,
this site provides the FSO insight you may require. And for providing
high-speed connections, across Enterprises and between cell-site
towers, it is the best technology available. FSO is a line-of-sight
technology that uses invisible beams of light to provide optical
bandwidth connections that can send and receive voice, video, and data
information. Today, FSO technology the foundation of LightPointe's
optical wireless offerings has enabled the development of a new
category of outdoor wireless products that can transmit voice, data, and
video at bandwidths up to 1.25 Gbps. This optical connectivity doesn't
require expensive fiber-optic cable or securing spectrum licenses for
radio frequency (RF) solutions. FSO technology requires light. The use
of light is a simple concept similar to optical transmissions using fiberoptic cables; the only difference is the medium. Light travels through air
faster than it does through glass, so it is fair to classify FSO technology
as optical communications at the speed of light.
History of Free Space Optics
Originally developed by the military and NASA, FSO has been used for
more than three decades in various forms to provide fast communication
links in remote locations. LightPointe has extensive experience in this
area: its chief scientists were in the labs developing prototype FSO
systems in Germany in the late 1960s, even before the advent of fiberoptic cable. To view a copy of the original FSO white paper in German,
published in Berlin, Germany, in the journal Nachrichtentechnik, in June
1968 by Dr. Erhard Kube, LightPointe's Chief Scientist and widely

Optical transmitter with HeNe

gas laser

regarded as the "father of FSO technology," click on the link below:

"Information transmission by light beams through the atmosphere."
(German; please check back for English translation)

While fiber-optic communications gained worldwide acceptance in the

telecommunications industry, FSO communications is still considered
relatively new. FSO technology enables bandwidth transmission
capabilities that are similar to fiber optics, using similar optical
transmitters and receivers and even enabling WDM-like technologies to
operate through free space. Read more on the ultra high-speed multigigabit wireless laser.
How Free Space Optics / Laser Communications Works
FSO technology is surprisingly simple. It's based on connectivity
between FSO-based optical wireless units, each consisting of an optical
transceiver with a transmitter and a receiver to provide full-duplex (bidirectional) capability. Each optical wireless unit uses an optical source,
plus a lens or telescope that transmits light through the atmosphere to
another lens receiving the information. At this point, the receiving lens or
telescope connects to a high-sensitivity receiver via optical fiber. This
FSO technology approach has a number of advantages: Requires no RF
spectrum licensing. Is easily upgradeable, and its open interfaces
support equipment from a variety of vendors, which helps enterprises
and service providers protect their investment in embedded
telecommunications infrastructures. Requires no security software
upgrades. Is immune to radio frequency interference or saturation. Can
be deployed behind windows, eliminating the need for costly rooftop
rights.

Choosing Free Space Optics or Radio Frequency Wireless

Speed of fiber flexibility of wireless
Optical wireless, based on FSO-technology, is an outdoor wireless
product category that provides the speed of fiber, with the flexibility of
wireless. It enables optical transmission at speeds of up to 1.25 Gbps
and, in the future, is capable of speeds of 10 Gbps using WDM. This is
not possible with any fixed wireless or RF technology. Optical wireless
also eliminates the need to buy expensive spectrum (it requires no FCC
or municipal license approvals worldwide), which further distinguishes it
from fixed wireless technologies. Moreover, FSO technologys narrow
beam transmission is typically two meters versus 20 meters and more

for traditional, even newer radio-based technologies such as millimeterwave radio. Optical wireless products' similarities with conventional
wired optical solutions enable the seamless integration of access
networks with optical core networks and helps to realize the vision of an
all-optical network.
Free Space Technology in Communication Networks
Free-space optics technology (FSO) has several applications in
communications networks, where a connectivity gap exists between two
or more points. FSO technology delivers cost-effective optical wireless
connectivity and a faster return on investment (ROI) for Enterprises and
Mobile Carriers. With the ever-increasing demand for greater bandwidth
by Enterprise and Mobile Carrier subscribers comes a critical need for
FSO-based products for a balance of throughput, distance and
availability.During the last few years, customer deployments of FSObased products have grown. Here are some of the primary network
uses:
Enterprise
Because of the scalability and flexibility of FSO technology, optical
wireless products can be deployed in many enterprise applications
including building-to-building connectivity, disaster recovery, network
redundancy and temporary connectivity for applications such as data,
voice and data, video services, medical imaging, CAD and engineering
services, and fixed-line carrier bypass.
Mobile Carrier Backhaul
ing services, and fixed-line carrier bypass. Mobile Carrier Backhaul: FSO
technology and optical wireless products can be deployed to provide up
to 16xE1/T1 backhaul connectivity and Greenfield mobile networks.
Mobile Carrier Base Station Hoteling
FSO-based products can be used to expand Mobile Carrier Network
footprints through base station hoteling in tandem with ADCs
Digivance solution.

LightPointe's point-to-point FSO wireless bridges are available via

partners in:
Afghanistan, Akrotiri, Albania, Algeria, American Samoa, Andorra, Angola,
Anguilla, Antarctica, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba,

Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, The Bahamas,

Bahrain, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bassas da India, Belarus, Belgium, Belize,
Benin, Bermuda, Bhutan, Bolivia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Botswana, Bouvet
Island, Brazil (Brasil), British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands,
Brunei, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burma, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon,
Canada, Cape Verde, Cayman Islands, Central African Republic, Chad, Chile,
China, Christmas Island, Clipperton Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands,
Colombia, Comoros, Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Republic of
the Cook Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cuba,
Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Dhekelia, Djibouti, Dominica, Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, El Salvador, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Estonia,
Ethiopia, Europa Island, Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas), Faroe Islands, Fiji,
Finland, France, French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and
Antarctic Lands, Gabon, Gambia, The Gaza Strip, Georgia, Germany, Ghana,
Gibraltar, Glorioso Islands, Greece, Greenland, Grenada, Guadeloupe, Guam,
Guatemala, Guernsey, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Guyana, Haiti, Heard Island
and McDonald Islands, Honduras, Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India,
Indonesia, Iraq, Ireland Isle of Man, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Jan Mayen, Japan,
Jersey, Jordan, Juan de Nova Island, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kiribati, South
Korea, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lebanon, Lesotho, Liberia, Libya,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macau, Macedonia, Madagascar,
Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Mali, Malta, Marshall Islands, Martinique,
Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Mexico, Micronesia, Federated States of
Moldova, Monaco, Mongolia, Montserrat, Morocco, Mozambique, Namibia,
Nauru, Navassa Island, Nepal, Netherlands, Netherlands Antilles, New
Caledonia, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Niue, Norfolk Island,
Northern Mariana Islands, Norway, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Panama, Papua
New Guinea, Paracel Islands, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Pitcairn Islands,
Poland, Portugal, Puerto Rico, Qatar, Reunion, Romania, Russia, Rwanda,
Saint Helena, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Pierre and Miquelon,
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, San Marino, Sao Tome and
Principe, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Serbia and Montenegro, Seychelles, Sierra
Leone, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South
Africa, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Spain, Spratly Islands,
Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Svalbard, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland,
Syria, Tai

Optical Free Space Transmission

This figure shows free space optical transmission. This diagram shows that
free space optical transmission systems loose some of their energy from
signal scattering, absorption and scintillation. Optical signal scattering occurs
when light signals are redirected as they pass through water particles. Optical
signal absorption occurs as some optical energy is converted to heat as it
strikes particles (such as smog). Scintillation occurs when heated (such as
from smokestacks) air cause a bending of the optical beam. This example
shows that it is possible to transmit multiple lightwave signals on different
wavelengths (WDM) to increase the overall data transmission rate.

Dictionary
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About the Editor

Mr. Lawrence Harte has over 29 years of experience in the electronics
industry including company leadership, product management, development,
marketing, design, and testing of telecommunications (cellular), radar, and
microwave systems. He has been issued patents relating to cellular
technology. He has authored over 75 articles on related subjects and has
been a speaker and panel moderator at industry trade events. Mr. Harte
earned executive MBA at Wake Forest University and received his Bachelors
degree from University of the State of New York. During the TDMA digital
cellular standard development process, Mr. Harte served as an editor and
voting company representative for the Telecommunications Industries
Association (TIA) TR45.3, digital cellular standards committee. As of 2003, Mr.
Harte had authored and co-authored over 20 books relating to
telecommunications technology. He has served as a consultant and expert

witness for leading companies including Ericsson, Siemens, VLSI, AMD,

Casio, Samsung, Sony, ATT, Nokia, Hughes and many others.

FREE SPACE OPTICAL NETWORKS

Reliable free space coherent optical communication over the turbulent atmospheric channel

Atmospheric optical communication over distances on the order of a kilometer allows the communication of dat
modulation rates as high as hundreds of gigabits per second. However, the laser beams are susceptible to fading
refractive index fluctuations induced by air-turbulence. Spatial diversity is an attractive technique to mitigate fa
the received signal.

The focus of this research is to create a system architecture for reliable and survivable high data rate free space o
communications. The research can be divided into two major objectives:

1. Reliable free space coherent optical communication over the turbulent atmospheric channel

2. Survivable communication with low probability of detection, interception and denial of service via jamming b
sophisticated adversaries with the best available technologies and knowledge of the system architecture

The system techniques that address both objectives are related and the overall final architecture will integrate the
objectives in a single design.

SATELLITE NETWORKS

This research project will address the architecture designs for efficient data communications over (satellite syste
especially when they are interconnected with terrestrial fiber and wireless systems to form a heterogeneous glob
Internet. There are three main components to this research:

1. Adaptive power and rate control techniques for the satellite systems over time-varying channels to achiev
greatly improved data throughputs

2. Efficient routing algorithms over a time-varying integrated and heterogeneous global network for maxim
resource utilization, especially the space segments.

3. Efficient congestion control algorithms at the transport and network layers for an intergrated satellite/terr
network.

FUTURE OPTICAL NETWORK

ARCHITECTURES
Our research objective is the creation of
an optimized, heterogeneous optical
network architecture, comprising current

and future technology building blocks,

that realizes the full potential of optical
technology and that will be able to support
exponentially increasing future bandwidth
demands.
Our approach to developing an optimal
optical network architecture will involve a
restructuring and optimization of the
existing network layer structure by: (i)
treating architecture, protocols, and the
physical layer as a single entity with
strongly interacting, but distinct
subsystems, and (ii) employing
foreseeable technology as well as
suggesting revolutionary hardware
technology to exploit the benefits of optics
wherever possible. The resulting
intelligent optical network will be
dynamically reconfigurable, and will
enable various new applications by
seamlessly optimizing network
performance for all types of data traffic.
Based on a system-wide optimization, the
most efficient switching, routing and
transport mechanisms will be developed,
which we anticipate will include
electronic packet switching as an
important overlay atop a much higherspeed network. The enabling architectural
concepts in our research are: (i) optical
flow switching (OFS) and its implications
on physical and higher layer architectures,
and (ii) impairment aware routing.

PROACTIVE WIRELESS
NETWORKS
The objective of this research is to
develop a Proactive Mobile Wireless
Network paradigm for next
generation infrastructureless wireless
networking to guarantee critical services

to users with time deadline constraints. In

contrast to existing mobile ad hoc wireless
networks where frequent network
disconnections and greatly degraded
services may occur due to fluid changes in
the location and composition of wireless
devices in combat theatres, a proactive
mobile wireless network actively
maintains network connections to ensure
continuous communication and timely
delivery of mission-critical information.
Such capabilities will be necessary and
crucial for networks that operate under
extreme operating scenarios, such as
search and rescue.

Dual-Mode Optical Interrogator (DMOI)

In October 2002, NOVASOL was awarded a large multi-year contract by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL)
for engineering and development in Free Space Optical (FSO) communications. The object of this program is
to develop a low powered optical laser link intended for a family of high bandwidth "last mile"
communication systems between ships, planes, and ground units.

Concept of operation.

Under this contract NOVASOL developed a Dual Mode Optical Interrogator (DMOI). The initial "alpha" unit of
this system was delivered to NRL in July, 2004.
Video: NRL alpha unit (Choose 'Save' option. 6.5MB)
With this system, the Interrogator tracks and communicates with a small moving Remote Unit within a
distance of 2 miles at 10Mbps.
In its primary mode, the Interrogator transmits a laser beam to a Remote Unit that modulates a data stream
onto the beam and reflects it back to the Interrogator. The Remote Station in this link is based on an ultralightweight and low-power Modulating Retroreflector, so a high-bandwidth downlink can be established with
minimal payload demand. All of the heavy, power-hungry equipment is located on the ground in the
Interrogator, which tracks the remote as well as transmitting the communications beam.

Concept of free space optical communications.

In the second mode, two Interrogator units communicate directly with each other, affording data rates of
gigabits per second over ranges of 20-50 kilometers. NOVASOL is fusing modulator laser technology with
precision pointing to produce a series of Interrogators adapted to a wide variety of "power to the edge"
uses. This equipment will facilitate rapid deployment of agile ad-hoc networks required by our militarys
transformational objectives. We are vigorously exploring new concepts to extend the range of applicability of
this technology with a family of Interrogators and Remotes of various sizes and capabilities. In May
2007, NOVASOL's newCompact Interrogator participated in a

Laser communications systems are wireless connections through the atmosphere. They work
similarly to fiber optic links, except the beam is transmitted through free space. While the
transmitter and receiver must require line-of-sight conditions, they have the benefit of
eliminating the need for broadcast rights and buried cables. The advantages of optical
communications are.
-The high frequency of the optical carrier it could go to 300,00 GHZ, that permits transmitted

much of information over a single channel than is possible with conventional radio or microwave
system.
- Short wavelength permits the realization of very small compact components.
-Low power and don't require any radio interference studies.
The carrier used for the transmission signal is typically generated by a laser diode.

Light
Amplification by
Stimulated

Free-space optics leaps last mile

Free-space optics leaps last mile
Daniel Chu, Vice President, Product Line Management, Blue Sky Research, Milpitas, Calif.
4/15/2002 11:51 AM EDT
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While the fiber-optic backbone is already widely installed, only 5 percent of commercial buildings in
the United States have fiber to their door, even though most are within a mile of a fiber-optic line,
and many are within a few hundred feet. The "last mile" is proving to be the major bottleneck to
expanding broadband services to many potential customers, and it offers an obvious opportunity for
free-space optics (FSO) systems.
FSO systems are fast. Data rates of 1.25 Gbits/second are commonly supported and vendors have
recently been promoting 10-Gbit/s systems. Systems up to 160 Gbits/s are reportedly in
development. FSO operates in an unregulated section of the spectrum, so no Federal
Communications Commission permits are required. In addition, since trenching is eliminated, so are
all of the permits associated with such activities as digging up the streets and disrupting traffic, which
greatly speeds up installation.
Security is generally not a concern. Not only would the optical signal be very difficult to intercept
(requiring a receiver to somehow be placed up in the air directly in the narrow, invisible light path), as

soon as it was, the connection would drop out. The optical signal is also relatively immune to
jamming, in contrast to radio frequency systems. As a testament to the level of security offered, the
U.S. Ballistic Missile Defense Organization is investigating FSO communications for "undisclosed"
applications.
The primary limitation to FSO system performance is interference due to weather, especially fog.
Fog interference in optical transmission is similar to rain fading in radio transmission, a well-known
phenomenon. The fading is the result of scattering of the beam as it encounters particles in the
atmosphere, and is a combination of two primary processes, Rayleigh and Mie scattering.
Rayleigh scattering results from particles less than about one-tenth of a wavelength and mainly
consists of scattering off the surfaces of particles in the air. Rayleigh scattering is highly wavelengthdependent. It is the phenomenon that causes the sky to appear blue because blue light is scattered
around four times as much as red light, and the refracted blue light makes the sky look blue to an
observer. Rayleigh scattering due to rain is commonly the dominant process responsible for signal
fading at radio wavelengths, but has very little effect at FSO wavelengths. Raindrops are typically
about 0.5 to 3 mm in diameter, and radio signals, especially high-frequency GHz signals, with
wavelengths in the millimeter to centimeter range, are susceptible to rain fading by Rayleigh
scattering. The wavelengths of FSO signals, on the order of 0.001 mm, are too short to be much
affected by Rayleigh scattering.
Fog interference
Mie scattering is the predominant process responsible for fog interference at FSO wavelengths. Mie
scattering is caused by particles of a similar size or larger than a given wavelength, and is less
wavelength-dependent than Rayleigh scattering. Mie scattering is the reason clouds and fog appear
white, because all wavelengths of visible light are equally scattered by the moisture particles of the
cloud. FSO signals, which are relatively close to the wavelength of visible light, are scattered by fog
in exactly the same manner. FSO wavelengths are much smaller than raindrops and pass through
relatively unaffected. FSO signals are unfortunately close enough to the size of fog particles, which
range from 0.01 to 0.05 mm, to be significantly scattered by Mie scattering. Heavy fog can reduce
the signal by up to about 300 dB/km.
Dealing with fog, however, is a relatively straightforward matter. Transmitted power is maximized, up
to the limits of eye safety, and link lengths are designed for a specified level of availability,
considering the local fog statistics. High-performance micro-optics at the diode can be used to
correct for aberrations and astigmatism, optimizing the output beam quality for greater fogpenetrating power.
Beam alignment problems are dealt with by the divergence of the optical beam, which results in
beam diameters on the order of tens of centimeters over common link lengths. With the receiver
centered in the beam, most movement is passively accommodated. In applications where movement
exceeds what beam divergence can accommodate, an active alignment system can maintain
connectivity. Objects such as birds passing through the optical path usually only block the beam for
a few milliseconds. This can have the effect of momentarily slowing down the data rate, but it will not
normally cause the connection to drop out.

See related chart

New laser transmitters are now addressing fog interference, the most significant drawback that has
hindered the widespread acceptance of FSO systems. Laser diodes with correcting micro-optics can
circularize and remove all aberrations from the laser beam, resulting in an optimized beam with
significantly improved fog-penetrating ability.
Many prospective users meet the requirements for an FSO installation. Free-space optics systems
can be installed along any line of sight (up to a kilometer or two), providing an appealing option to
laying fiber. While last-mile access probably represents the majority of the market for FSO, there are
several other opportunities. Cellular networks can utilize FSO to make connections. Mobile or
temporary network connections for sporting events can be rapidly deployed. FSO can be instantly
deployed for emergency response or disaster recovery situations, in remote areas or where fiber
lines have been disrupted.
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Free space optical communicationPresentation Transcript

1.

Free Space Optical Communication (FSO) Supervised by: Prof. Magdy Ibrahim Prepared by:
Ahmed Ashraf Abdel-Haseb Ahmed-Houssam Mahmoud Ahmed Magdy El-Sayed Amr Atef Hussein
Mohamed Khaled Abo-Seif

2.

Free Space Optical Communication (FSO) Supervised by: Prof. Magdy Ibrahim Prepared by:
Ahmed Ashraf Abdel-Haseb Ahmed-Houssam Mahmoud Ahmed Magdy El-Sayed Amr Atef Hussein
Mohamed Khaled Abo-Seif

3.

Outlines Introduction [1] Free Space Optical Link Design [2] Applications [3] FSO vs. Fiber
vs. Microwave Links

4.

Outlines Introduction [1] Free Space Optical Link Design [2] Applications [3] FSO vs. Fiber
vs. Microwave Links

5.

Introduction Operation of FSO Uses Advantages and Disadvantages Security Aspects

Safety Aspects

6.

Introduction Operation of FSO Uses Advantages and Disadvantages Security Aspects

Safety Aspects

7.

Introduction Operation of FSO Uses To cross a public road or other barriers which the
sender and receiver do not own. For communications between spacecraft. Speedy service
delivery of high-bandwidth access to optical fiber networks. Advantages and Disadvantages
Security Aspects Safety Aspects

8.

Advantages License-free operation. High bit rates. Low bit error rates. Immunity to
electromagnetic interference. Security. Easiness and speed of installation. Security Aspects
Safety AspectsIntroduction Operation of FSO Uses Advantages and Disadvantages

9.

Disadvantages Beam dispersion. Atmospheric absorption. Rain, Snow, Fog (10..~100

dB/km attenuation). Background light. Security Aspects Safety AspectsIntroduction Operation
of FSO Uses Advantages and Disadvantages

10.

Introduction Operation of FSO Uses Advantages and Disadvantages Security Aspects

Safety Aspects

11.

Introduction Operation of FSO Applications Advantages and Disadvantages Security

Aspects Safety Aspects Eye Damage

12.

Outlines Introduction [1] Free Space Optical Link Design [2] Applications [3] FSO vs. Fiber
vs. Microwave Links

13.

Free Space Optical Link Design FSO Subsystems FSO Link Equation and Link Budget
Theoretical Range Limit BER, Data Rate, and Range

14.

Free Space Optical Link Design FSO Subsystems 1. Transmitter 2. Receiver 3. Tracking
System FSO Link Equation and Link Budget Theoretical Range Limit BER, Data Rate, and Range

15.

Free Space Optical Link Design FSO Subsystems 1. Transmitter 2. Receiver 3. Tracking
System Requirements: Tracking Frequency, Resolution, Speed, etc. FSO Link Equation and
Link Budget Theoretical Range Limit BER, Data Rate, and Range

16.

Free Space Optical Link Design

17.

Free Space Optical Link Design

18.

Free Space Optical Link Design FSO Subsystems FSO Link Equation and Link Budget
Theoretical Range Limit BER, Data Rate, and Range.

19.

Outlines Introduction [1] Free Space Optical Link Design [2] Applications [3] FSO vs. Fiber
vs. Microwave Links

20.

ApplicationsFree Space Optical Networks Point to Point FSO Systems Mesh FSO
SystemsFSO on HAPs (Future Application)

21.

ApplicationsFree Space Optical Networks Point to Point FSO Systems Mesh FSO
SystemsFSO on HAPs (Future Application)

22.

Applications 3 A receiver at the other end of 2 Transmitter projects the the link collects the
light using carefully aimed light pulses lenses and/or mirrors into the air 5 Reverse direction data
transported the same way. Full duplex1 Network traffic 4 Received signal converted into converted
back into pulses of fiber or copper and invisible light connected to the representing 1s network and
0s Anything that can be done in fiber can be done with FSO

23.

ApplicationsFree Space Optical Networks Point to Point FSO Systems Disadvantages

Cannot connect more than 2 points The points cannot have arbitrary distance between them Has
the poorest network and traffic protection Mesh FSO SystemsFSO on HAPs (Future Application)

24.

ApplicationsFree Space Optical Networks Ring FSO Systems Mesh FSO SystemsFSO on
HAPs (Future Application)

25.

Nodes of a mesh - FSO topology on fl at terrain but with nodes at different heights.

26.

ApplicationsFree Space Optical Networks Ring FSO Systems Mesh FSO Systems
Advantages The best network and service protection Very high data rates Scalability and
expandabilityFSO on HAPs (Future Application)

27.

ApplicationsFree Space Optical Networks Ring FSO Systems Mesh FSO Systems
Disadvantages The complexity of each node in the mesh topology. High CostFSO on HAPs
(Future Application)

28.

Nodes over a geographical territory with line of sight between them.

29.

ApplicationsFree Space Optical Networks Ring FSO Systems Mesh FSO SystemsFSO on
HAPs (Future Application) Use on high altitude platforms (HAPs), (20 30 Km). Estimated Range:
more than 600km. .

30.

ApplicationsFree Space Optical Networks Ring FSO Systems Mesh FSO SystemsFSO on
HAPs (Future Application) Advantages: Stratospheric Conditions. Low attenuation, no cloud

interference, low tempretureetc. Cost Effective (Compared to Satellites) FSO Advantages High
Data rate, Low Power Consumption etc. .
31.

Outlines Introduction [1] Free Space Optical Link Design [2] Applications [3] FSO vs. Fiber
vs. Microwave Links

32.

FSO vs. Fiber vs. Microwave Links Criteria FSO Optical Fiber Microwave Data rate Up to 10
Gbps 100 Mbps to 100 Gbps 275 Mbps Installation Easy Difficult Moderate Cost Moderate High
ModerateMaintenance low High lowMost common Between buildings Point-to point Point-to-point
uses Short distance Long distance Short distance Advantages Price Security speed performance
capacity and speed No license Immunity to EMIDisadvantages Can be intercepted Difficult to splice
Can be intercepted determinate Requires radio license Security Moderate Excellent Poor

33.

References[1] S.V. Kartalopo