This study discusses the current state of FSO technology, as well as global trends and developments in the industrial ecosystem to identify obstacles to the full realization of optical space-to-ground communication networks. Additionally, link performance and network availability trade-off studies are presented, comparing overall system performance between portable and large OGS networks in conjunction with a constellation of small low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. The paper provides an up-to-date overview and critical analysis of the FSO industry and assesses the feasibility of low-cost portable terminals as an alternative to larger high-capacity OGS systems. This initiative aims to better inform optical communications stakeholders, including governments, academic institutions, satellite operators, manufacturers, and communication service providers
@article{arxiv.2410.23470,
title = {Advancing Free-Space Optical Communication System Architecture: Performance Analysis of Varied Optical Ground Station Network Configurations},
author = {Eugene Rotherham and Connor Casey and Eva Fernandez Rodriguez and Karen Wendy Vidaurre Torrez and Maren Mashor and Isaac Pike},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2410.23470},
year = {2025}
}
Comments
20 pages, 15 figures, Published at IAC '24 & the code is available at https://github.com/connor-a-casey/fso-simulation