Optical Communications Team

Optical Communications
Part of the Optical Communications series
Team Goals
Amateur Optical Communication Record • CubeQuest Challenge
Equipment
OpComms System I • System II • System III • System IV • 3 cm Board
Noteworthy Tests
SSI-1E4 • Test Procedure
Important Concepts
The Field of Optical Communications • Beam Divergence • Pulse Position Modulation • Scintillation • Precision Aiming • Fog • Long Range RF • Optical Internet Backhaul • Signal-to-Noise Ratio
Field Test Locations
W6YX (also see Amateur Radio) • Skyline Boulevard Overlook • Proposed Alternate OpComms Test Sites
People
Dr. Simone D'Amico (Team Advisor) • Elizabeth Hillstrom (Co-Lead) • Sasha Maldonado (Co-Lead) • Dr. Joseph Kahn • Dr. Leo Hollberg
Optical Communications Satellites
FitSat-1 • LADEE • ARTEMIS and SPOT-4 • OICETS • OPALS • JPL 1U Optical Communications Terminal
Astronomy
Las Cumbres Observatory Global Telescope Network • Stanford Astronomy Club • Stanford Student Observatory
Miscellaneous
Tactical Cinderblock
V • E

The OpComms Team's longest successful test transmitted a binary signal over a 10km link

Optical Communications is a student-led project that aims 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 has since moved away from the competition design constraints. The OpComms/Satellites Team Faculty Advisor is Dr. Simone D'Amico.

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 of the 2014-15 year resulted in the successful establishment of an optical lock over 10 kilometers.