Optical ground station for applications of high-precision LEO remote sensing and laser communications satellites

As the LEO satellite industry rapidly expands, the demand for remote sensing and telecommunications in marine and suburban areas is increasing. Developing higher bandwidth communication interfaces has b ecome a crucial focus in the space industry. Free space optical (FSO) communication offers bandwidths hundreds of times greater than traditional microwave links, enabling the efficient transmission of large volumes of data. However, current commercial sate llite tracking systems lack the high precision needed for space-ground laser communication. For high-speed data transmission, the laser beams between the ground station and the satellite must be precisely aligned. In this Taiwan Space Agency’s (TASA) project, we were originally designed optical ground station to communicate with HICALI (High -speed Advanced Optical Communication Equipment) onboard the Engineering Test Satellite No. 9. This project is changed to specifically communicate with future High-Precision LEO Remote Sensing and Laser Communications Satellites including 6U CubeSat(s) built by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU). The system consists of a medium-sized telescope, a mount, and a newly developed high-precision controller, which meets the accuracy requirements for FSO communication. By analyzing optical images of targets, we achieve the necessary tracking accuracy for satellite -ground FSO communication. This system not only enhances the transmission efficiency in space -ground laser communications but also improves the remote sensing and data transmission capabilities of LEO satellites. This paper provides an overview of the current optical ground station, the system performance and lessons learned.