Comparison of near-infrared and mid-infrared link budgets for optical satellite communication

Link budgets for LEO to ground optical communication using state of the art MWIR and LWIR sources and detectors were generated using OptiWave’s OptiSystem simulation suite. The results show a MWIR link demonstration could be viable in the next 5 years, while LWIR links are limited by detector technology. MWIR and LWIR sources and detectors using nonlinear optics are discussed.