DSOC
Fibertek’s Uplink Laser Assembly (ULA) is a laser uplink terminal developed to support NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration.
Customer
NASA JPL
Program Webpage
NASA Program Webpage: Psyche | NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL)
Psyche Mission Webpage: Psyche Mission | A Mission to a Metal World
Fibertek developed an innovative laser assembly to support this groundbreaking mission.
Fibertek’s Uplink Laser Assembly (ULA) is a laser uplink terminal developed to support NASA’s Deep Space Optical Communications (DSOC) technology demonstration, which has shown the potential for more robust, broadband-style communication between Earth and deep space, beyond the lunar orbit.
ULA provides precision beaconing and signaling from Earth.
- Ground-based system
- 10 lasers
- 7kW combined output power
- Robust pointing, tracking, and communication across great distances
Mission and Challenges
DSOC is a transformative initiative designed to redefine how data is transmitted across the solar system. As space exploration pushes further into deep space, traditional communication systems using radio frequency (RF) waves are reaching their practical limits. Using DSOC, missions have the potential to increase data rates by 10 to 100 times compared to RF systems. This leap forward will support the growing demands of science missions, enabling faster, higher-volume transmission of images, videos, and other data from deep space.
The DSOC flight terminal was launched in 2023, aboard NASA’s Psyche mission, which is traveling to a metal-rich asteroid between Mars and Jupiter. The asteroid is believed to be the exposed nickel-iron core of an early planetesimal, offering scientists a rare look at the building blocks of planet formation. Although separate from Psyche’s main science goals, DSOC is using the spacecraft as a test platform to prove optical communications can work across interplanetary distances. DSOC technology supports NASA’s broader goals under the Artemis program, the Mars Sample Return mission, and beyond, enabling more capable, data-rich exploration of our solar system.
Fibertek’s Uplink Laser Assembly is shown in this video describing the DSOC mission.
Fibertek’s Contribution and Results
To support the DSOC mission, Fibertek developed the ULA ground-based laser uplink terminal. The ULA provides precision beaconing and signaling from Earth to the DSOC spacecraft, enabling robust pointing, tracking, and communication across distances greater than 2 A.U. It was delivered, installed, and is operated from the JPL Optical Communications Telescope Laboratory (OCTL) facility and includes 10 lasers with 7 kW of combined output power. Fibertek has also conducted several Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) programs focused on the downlink laser, demonstrating the space-operational capability of the amplifier technology and helping to solidify the technological approach adopted for the Psyche mission’s downlink laser for NASA/JPL.
