Distributed Spacecraft Mission Optical Multiple Access Inter-Satellite Communication Solution

NASA Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Radical Innovation Initiative (RI2) plans to focus intently on Distributed Spacecraft Mission (DSM) capability advancement in FY22 to 24. Recently, GSFC Internal Research & Development (IRAD) program established Enceladus as the design reference mission (DRM) for the current DSM effort to foster the conceptual development of communication architecture, requirements, and solution for future DSM ISLs. Enceladus is an icy moon of the planet Saturn. A study was performed at GSFC on the use of optical multiple access (OMA) as a high data rate solution for the DRM Enceladus inter-satellite link communications. The study leverages on a current NASA Phase II SBIR "Inter-Spacecraft Omnidirectional Optical Communicator (ISOC)", which will enable for the DRM inter-satellite link application and for missions in near Earth, Lunar and deep space exploration. The ISOC is capable of enabling swarms of spacecraft as Relay nodes with a swarm arraying technique. This paper describes the DRM mission concept, the Enceladus constellation to Relay to Earth notional communication architecture, and operation concepts. A DRM OMA link analysis and design with swarm arraying for constellation ISL, constellation to Relay and to Earth optical link is provided and discussed. The concept of constellation node-initiated on-demand service protocols with optical beam beaconless Angle-of-Arrival (AOA) method is presented. The use of ISOC swarm arraying as the basis for an inter-planetary network (IPN) to create optically interconnected nodes around planetary bodies from Saturn to Jupiter to Mars to Moon to L1/L2 and to Earth is discussed.