Abstract
Future NASA missions for both Science and Exploration will have needs for much higher data rates than are presently available, even with NASA’s highly-capable Space- and Deep-Space Networks. As a first step towards this end, for one month in late 2013, NASA’s Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration (LLCD) successfully demonstrated for the first time high-rate duplex laser communications between a satellite in lunar orbit, the Lunar Atmosphere and Dust Environment Explorer (LADEE), and multiple ground stations on the Earth. It constituted the longest-range laser communication link ever built and demonstrated the highest communication data rates ever achieved to or from the Moon.
This report will summarize the main achievements of LLCD and put them in context of the near-term and long-term communications goals of NASA space missions.
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Acknowledgements
At this point, the two authors of this report would like to acknowledge the many dozens of people who designed, built, integrated, and operated the various parts of the LLCD system. These talented and highly dedicated teams were led by: Dr. Dennis Burianek and Dr. Daniel Murphy of MITLL, who led, respectively, the LLST and LLGT efforts; Dr. Farzana Khatri and Marilyn Semprucci of MITLL, who led the LLOC effort; Abhijit Biswas of JPL who led the LLOT effort; and Dr. Zoran Sodnik of ESA who led the LLOGS effort. Also special acknowledgements and thanks go to Dr. Donald Cornwell of NASA who was the tireless and talented Mission Manager, and to John Rush of NASA’s Space Comm and Nav office, whose vision and energy led to the creation of this program, to its all-important inter-organizational arrangements, and to its continued strong support throughout.
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This work was sponsored by National Aeronautics and Space Administration under Air Force Contract #FA8721-05-C-0002. Opinions, interpretations, recommendations and conclusions were those of the authors and were not necessarily endorsed by the United States Government.
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Boroson, D.M., Robinson, B.S. The Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration: NASA’s First Step Toward Very High Data Rate Support of Science and Exploration Missions. Space Sci Rev 185, 115–128 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-014-0122-y
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11214-014-0122-y