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[[File:SSI-1E4_Small (175x175).png|frame|right|The OpComms Team's longest successful test transmitted a binary signal over a [[SSI-1E4|10km link]]]]

[[File:SSI-1E4_Small (175x175).png|frame|left|Mission patch for the Satellites Team's first successful [[SSI-1E4|10km optical link]], which achieved an optical lock]]

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 [[SSI-1E4|10 kilometers]].

[[File:SSI-1E4-2.png|thumb|175px|left|On a subsequent test, the team was able to bidirectionally encode and decode a string of bits.]]

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

Optical Communications was a student-led project that aimed 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, but later moved away from the competition design constraints.

 

The Optical Communications group 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 of the 2014-15 year resulted in the successful establishment of an optical lock over [[SSI-1E4|10 kilometers]]. The group was able to successfully transmit encoded data over 10 kilometers in August 2015.

<noinclude>[[Category:Optical Communications]]</noinclude>

<noinclude>[[Category:Optical Communications]]</noinclude>