LaserCube optical communication terminal for nano and micro satellites

This paper presents the design and testing of LaserCube, a miniature optical communication terminal conceived for nano and microsatellites. The system architecture has been defined for both the downlink and intersatellite link version of the system. Then, a complete engineering model of LaserCube in its intersatellite link configuration has been developed and tested. It features (1) a dual stage pointing and tracking system based on a coarse pointing mechanism patented by Stellar Project, (2) an optical head with a full–duplex telecom channel with transmission and reception on the same wavelength for two–way links, (3) a transceiver section with telecom laser source and optical receiver and (4) the terminal control unit with onboard computer, actuator drivers and data interface. Experimental validation of the system is achieved through a laboratory simulation of an intersatellite link scenario with realistic dynamic disturbance coming from the host satellite attitude jitter.