First Deep-Space Laser Link
On July 7, ESA, the European Space Agency, successfully established Europe’s first deep-space optical communication link with NASA’s Psyche mission using a high-power fiber laser system from NKT Photonics. This groundbreaking achievement, conducted with NASA/JPL’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) demonstrator, marks a significant leap forward in high-data-rate communication across vast interplanetary distances.
This achievement was the result of collaboration between ESA, NASA/JPL, and a consortium of leading European companies, including NKT Photonics. The technology developed for this project was supported by funding from ESA, delivered through the GSTP programme at UKSA (UK Space Agency).
The major technical challenges addressed were to create a laser with enough power to be detected at extremely large distances, a pointing system with enough precision to aim accurately at the spacecraft, and an equally precise receiver system sensitive enough to detect the extremely faint return signals.
In collaboration with Swiss General Atomics Synopta, NKT Photonics supplied the multi-beam high-power fiber laser system and the beam transmission system. The laser system emits a narrow-linewidth, modulated signal so that the distant spacecraft can precisely locate the ground station and lock onto it, establishing an optical link for high-speed data downlink.
Precision Laser Power for Deep Space
The core of the laser system is based on NKT Photonics’ renowned Koheras single-frequency fiber laser platform. The base for the configuration is an ACOUSTIK line card sub-rack housing the BASIK Y10 seed laser, a BOOSTIK pre-amplifier, as well as both AOM and EOM line cards used for spectral pre-conditioning and high-frequency amplitude modulation. A splitter sends the signal to the five BOOSTIK UHP high-power amplifiers to bring the power up to the kW level needed to reach the spacecraft. The specially developed amplifiers are based on NKT Photonics’ core fiber amplifier technology, also used in their directed energy activities but modified to enable high-speed power modulation from 0 to 2 kW in less than 10 microseconds. Finally, a bespoke timing module line card provides all the timing and synchronization waveforms for the various beacon and data-uplink scenarios.
The beam transmission system’s precision allows it to point with arcsecond precision to the spacecraft, enabling both a beacon for accurate downlink and the potential to uplink data, providing a glimpse into the future of deep space communication.
This accomplishment highlights NKT Photonics’ position at the forefront of laser technology and underscores the importance of strong partnerships between agencies and industry in advancing Europe’s leadership in optical technologies.
“We are immensely proud to be part of this transformative project”, said Mike Yarrow, Senior Engineering Manager at NKT Photonics. “Our expertise in fiber laser technology has allowed us to contribute to a system that pushes the boundaries of what’s possible in free space optical communications. It doesn’t get more challenging or more awe-inspiring than deep-space optical comms. This project not only showcases our ability to deliver unprecedented power and precision to meet our customers’ stringent requirements but also reinforces our commitment to forging successful collaborations and advancing knowledge to benefit society as a whole.”
Second Successful Laser Link Achieved
On 21 July, ESA succeeded again in establishing a laser communication link with NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) experiment aboard its Psyche mission, now 265 million kilometers from Earth. This time, the focus was on delivering the most stable ground laser beacon to the spacecraft, ensuring it could reliably transmit data to the ground laser receiver. The approach proved highly effective, enabling continuous data decoding following the initial link acquisition.
Want to know more about the Psyche mission? Read more on the ESA website.
