Optical communications systems are of interest for use in spacecraft of any size and this project provides an opportunity to advance this technology quickly and at very low cost. For a given amount of communications system power, optical systems, that transmit information using a laser beam rather than a radio signal, offer the potential to greatly increase the volume of information that can be transmitted by a spacecraft. With its first objective, this project addresses the need to increase the amount of data that a small spacecraft can transmit to the ground. This two-year project was initiated in October 2012. The spacecraft for this mission will be two 1.5-unit cubesats, which are satellites with dimensions of approximately 10 by 10 by 16 centimeters and a mass of approximately 3 kilograms. The OCSD project is led by the Aerospace Corporation, in El Segundo, California and is funded by NASA’s Small Spacecraft Technology Program. The Optical Communications and Sensor Demonstration (OCSD) mission will address two crosscutting capabilities of interest to NASA: optical communications system and low-cost sensors for proximity operations with cubesats and other spacecraft. Visualization of one satellite using its radar and laser cross-track sensor to measure the distance and relative motion of the other satellite. Hinged solar panels that can be used to vary the drag force on the satellite are also visible. One of the two identical cubesats that will be part of the OCSD mission.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |