Paper 13355-23
Paper 13355-23
Downlink and uplink laser transmitters operational performance for the Deep Space Optical Communications project on the Psyche mission
29 January 2025 • 11:10 AM - 11:30 AM PST | Moscone South, Room 208 (Level 2)
Abstract
The Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) project has recently successfully completed its first year of operations. The downlink flight laser transmitter operated for over 120 hrs on a weekly cadence demonstrating data rates up to 267 Mbps at near range and 8 Mbps at 2.5 AU. The uplink laser assembly provided a beacon reference for the flight terminal with over 2 kW average power and an uplink data rate of 1.8 kbps at 1064 nm over the entire range. Trends and performance data will be reported on for both systems.
Presenter
Jet Propulsion Lab. (United States)
Malcolm Wright received his Ph.D. degree in physics from the University of New Mexico, following which he was with the AFRL developing high power semiconductor lasers. Since 1998 he is with the JPL, Caltech, developing laser systems for NASA’s free space optical communication projects. Most recently he was the technical lead for both the delivery of the flight laser transmitter and the high power ground uplink laser transmitter on the DSOC project that has successfully demonstrated optical links from over 2 AU with the Psyche spacecraft.