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Optical Communications is a student-led project aiming to develop the capability to establish high-bandwidth data links over free space. Thus far, the group has successfully transmitted a signal over a distance of 10 km. The group is analyzing the applications of this technology for space to earth downlinks.

Optical Communications is a student-led project aiming to develop the capability to establish high-bandwidth data links over free space. The group began work at the beginning of the 2014-2015 academic year, under the leadership of Thomas Teisberg and Logan Herrera. It was initially formed to investigate the possibility of space-based optical communications, with the intent to participate in the NASA [[CubeQuest Challenge]], a competition for small satellite design. Since its inception, the Optical Communications group has evolved to focus on the establishment of long-distance optical links, with the eventual goal of integrating this technology into a CubeSat form-factor satellite for the purposes of space-based communication. In its first year of existence, the group developed a system involving mechanized altitude/azimuth mounts, an original receiver device consisting of a Fresnel lens and photodetector, and a MATLAB pointing algorithm based on reference point alignment. The group’s final test resulted in the successful establishment of an optical link over [[OpComms System III|10 kilometers]].

 

The current team leads are [[User:Smaldonado|Sasha Maldonado]] and [[User:Ehillstrom|Elizabeth Hillstrom]].

[[Category:Optical Communications]]

[[Category:Optical Communications]]