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Issued patent
Active Pointing and Tracking System in Laser Satellite to Satellite Tracking (SST)
An issued NASA patent from the Technology Transfer catalog.
About this technology
Overview
In laser satellite to satellite tracking for gravity measurements, satellite to satellite separation is measured to the highest precision possible (less than one micrometer). The measurement is conducted with laser links between two satellites, where the laser optical phase change is measured as a function of time. Satellite yaw and pitch causing optical path length change is a major error source. In current systems, path length change compensation is achieved with a sophisticated optical bench design.