Overview of the NCST's new optical research facility

The Naval Center for Space Technology (NCST) at the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is building a new capability to support space-related optical research activities. The facility will be located at NRL's Midway Research Center near Quantico, VA. Phase One, completed in 1999, is a multi-purpose transportable telescope (TRTEL) which has already been used for an air-to-ground optical communications demonstration and for passive satellite tracking operations. The second phase, consisting of a Satellite Laser Ranging (SLR) system built around a 1-meter re-locatable telescope, is scheduled for completion in the summer of 2001. Technical details describing both systems are provided.