ViaLight - Miniaturized Laser Terminals MLT for Constellations

17th Oct. 2016

Dr. Markus Knapek

2

Confidential and Proprietary Information of ViaLight Communications GmbH

Laser Communication at ViaLight

Optical Network above the Clouds

• Data rates up to 10Gbps (one color!)

• Low SWaP, <15kg

• Competitive price per terminal

Today’s Business at ViaLight

• Stratospheric inter-platform links with large commercial customers

• Industrial manufacturing approach for larger series

• Path towards large constellations of small satellites

Inter-HAP

Inter-Sat

LEO-Ground

3

Confidential and Proprietary Information of ViaLight Communications GmbH

Today’s Constellations: Stratospheric Communciation Players

July 2016

4

Confidential and Proprietary Information of ViaLight Communications GmbH

Laser Communication for the NewSpace Market

Communication: • Kaskilo • LeoSat • SpaceX • OneWeb • Laser Light

Earth Observation • TerraBella • PlanetLabs • BlackSky • UrtheCast

• Need inexpensive solutions to make ambitious, innovative business models work • Rather industrial than traditional space manufacturing approach

5

Confidential and Proprietary Information of ViaLight Communications GmbH

MLT-20 - Short-Distance Links

High-Speed Network-Oriented Solutions

Application Scenarios

• Inter-aircraft IPL, Inter-High Altitude Platforms (HAP), Air-to-Ground (ATG)

Characteristics

• Link distance >200km

• 70mm aperture

• Up to 10Gbps

• Weight <5-10kg

Application Scenarios

• Platform to ground links

• Inter-UAV at short distances

Characteristics

• Link distance up to 50km

• 20mm terminal

• Weight 5-10kg

• 1-10Gbps

MLT-70 – Stratospheric Systems GS-200/400/600 Ground

Stations

Application Scenarios

• Air-to-ground

• Satellite-to-ground

Characteristics

• 200-600mm station aperture

• Bi-directional or asym-metric communication at up to 10Gbps

Application Scenarios

• LEO-to-LEO (ISL)

• LEO-to-Ground/Aircraft

Characteristics

• Link distances up to 5300km

• 100mm aperture

• Up to 10Gbps

• Weight <15kg, Power <60W

MLT-LEO – Inter-Satellite

6

Confidential and Proprietary Information of ViaLight Communications GmbH

Proof of Concept under Extreme Test Conditions ViaLight MLT-20 on a Jet-Fighter Platform

Secure link despite: • Poor weather conditions • 750km/h, 7km altitude, 60km range • Extreme shocks with afterburner

Foto: J. Gietl 2013 @ Cassidian ViaLight MLT-20

7

Confidential and Proprietary Information of ViaLight Communications GmbH

Aeronautic Laser Terminal for Inter-Platform Links

Coarse Pointing

CPA

Telescope TLA

RFE, CTS, FTS

PAA & FPA Assembly

PFA FPA, PAA

Laser Unit LU

EPS

Terminal Control

Computer TCC

Electronics Unit EU

Laser Transceiver

LET

Optical Bench OB

Receiver & Sensor

Assly RSA

Modular Concept for Effective Production

9

Confidential and Proprietary Information of ViaLight Communications GmbH

Exploitation is the Challenge

Laser terminals have been proven in various scenarios.

What do we need for larger/future networks based on lasers? • Different scenarios with very different requirements

Distance 2500km for LEO SGL, 5.000-8.000km LEO-LEO, 40.000km for LEO GEO, 80.000km GEO2GEO

Atmospheric and non-atmospheric links, different coding types Different types of certification and quality standards for the terminals (ground, air,

space, commercial vs. military)

• Network operation with nodes of different types (GEO, LEO, HAPs, faster aircraft, ground stations) Managing high bandwidth, hybrid networks Dynamically changing network topology, autonomous algorithms, network layer

• No international standards for wireless lasercoms compatibility

• Coping with different speeds in the different networks (ground, air, space) – fiber, FSO, RF, terrestrial networks

10