Abstract
Feature Issue on
Optical Wireless Communications (OWC)
The communication needs of
Earth observation satellites is steadily increasing. Within a few years, the data
rate of such satellites will exceed 1 Gbit/s, the angular resolution of sensors will
be less than 1 μrad, and the memory size of onboard data recorders will be beyond 1
Tbyte. Compared with radio frequency links, optical communications in space offers
various advantages, such as smaller and lighter equipment, higher data rates,
limited risk of interference with other communications systems, and the effective
use of frequency resources. This paper describes and compares the major features of
radio and optical frequency communications systems in space and predicts the needs
of future satellite communications.
© 2005 Optical Society of America
PDF Article
Cited By
You do not have subscription access to this journal. Cited by links are available to subscribers only. You may subscribe either as an Optica member, or as an authorized user of your institution.
Contact your librarian or system administrator
or
Login to access Optica Member Subscription
Add to BibSonomy