Multi-kW Uplink Fiber-Laser Beacon with Agile Signal Format

Uplink Laser Beacons for deep-space communication, can benefit greatly from migration to the 1010-1030nm wavelengths, via use of Silicon-APDs on the spacecraft receiving terminal. Fibertek has developed an uplink laser transmitter testbed using a multi-stage fiber-MOPA platform, that is also scalable to a multi-aperture architecture. Preliminary demonstration for 1064nm operation has shown multi-kW peak powers using long-pulse slot(>100nsec)based M-ary PPM format. The highly flexible platform developed at Fibertek, also corrects for pulse-shaping, and pulse-train variations, inherent in such multi-kW long-pulse variable-symbool PPM data-format. This SBIR proposal aims to develop and demonstrate the feasibility of a clear technical road map to translate this to shorter wavelengths <1030nm, as well as to further optimize the uplink laser beacon transmitter for representative M-ary PPM data formats, using FPGA based adaptive control.

(1)Ground station to military satellite communication/telemetry (2)Ground to Space (near-earth) power projection for small payload propulsion (3)Power projection for Directed Energy application & testing

(1) Uplink laser beacon for deep-space communication & telemetry. (2) Sub-scale version as uplink beacon for lunar communications, and ground-station to LEO/GEO satellite communication.

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