The Optical Communication Terminals group deals with the development and implementation of systems for small satellites and other flight platforms in the field of free-space optical communication. The development covers the path from concepts through lab prototypes to qualified flight models for demonstration mission as well as the transfer to series production with an industrial partner. Optical communication terminals offer advantages over conventional radio systems in terms of the achievable data rate, the energy efficiency of the transmission, and the space requirements in the satellite.

One focus is the transfer from the initial concept to a demonstration mission. To this end,  our group is made up of members from the fields of electrical engineering, control engineering, mechanical engineering and spacecraft engineering. The implementation of the laser communication terminals is based on the use of commercial components that have not been developed specifically for space applications - as a result, there is a particular focus on qualification tests and innovative protection concepts in order to identify weak points at an early stage and protect them by dedicated design concepts or selectively replace them with qualified components. With this orientation, we work on innovative and highly compact optical communication systems, which enable high data rates with innovative components even on small satellites in low-Earth orbit.

Scientific collaborations 

In addition to the development of communication terminals, cooperation with universities and research institutes plays a central role - this ensures that research is always one step ahead of the market and is already working on next-generation concepts. The close cooperation with other research groups such as Advanced Optical Technologies, Optical Telecommunication Systems as well as Quantum Communication Systems ensures the best possible bundling of competences in the field of optical communication within the institute.

OSIRIS

In the OSIRIS program, a family of communication terminals has been developed over more than 10 years, enabling both the highest data rates on larger platforms and highly compact systems for CubeSats. In this area, we have been working successfully with the company Tesat Spacecom in Backnang near Stuttgart for many years.