Low-Cost Optical Terminal (LCOT)

Pre-production prototype for a modular, repeatable, multi-mission, optical ground terminal, utilizing commercial components to the maximum extent possible with commercialization focus.

Communication ground system that will lower system costs, increase the number of mission types that can be supported, encourage commercial development of hardware and systems, and foster collaboration with universities and train next generation of engineers. By investing in Non-Recurring Engineering now, the cost and complexity of future ground terminals will be greatly reduced.

• Develop a non-operational optical communications experimental proving ground station, located at the Goddard Geophysical and Astronomical Observatory (GGAO), creating a pathway to operational optical ground stations.
• Provide a platform to conduct a wide range of optical communications service experiments.
• Demonstrate COTS technologies (telescopes, adaptive optics, high power optical amplifiers) can perform the key functions needed for optical communications services.
• Engineering development of optical ground systems using industry and commercial vendors coupled with university relationships and ongoing SCaN technology development will result in the development of the first DTE optical system available for operational use. This will enable the development of additional commercial and university systems.
• Without development of the first optical ground terminal for operational use, NASA missions will not be able to readily design optical systems into their missions and an expansive network of commercial DTE systems for optical communication will be slow to manifest.

Provides a low cost optical space terminal so users can take advantage of high bandwidth optical relays. A three-minute connection time with LCOT is sufficient to return over five terabytes of critical science data, the equivalent of over 2,500 hours of high-definition video in a single pass. As the LCOT sky test demonstrates, the ultra-high-speed capabilities of laser communications will allow science missions to maintain their connection to Earth as they travel farther than ever before.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 5) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.