Point Ahead Angle(PAA) Estimation and a Control Algorithm for Satellite-Pointing of the Ground Terminal in Satellite-to-Ground Optical Communication

Abstract

Free-space optical communication technology enables the high-speed data transmission and excellent anti-jamming security. We conduct research on satellite-to-ground free-space optical communication links for high-speed transmission of large-capacity surveillance and reconnaissance data. Since the satellite continues to move along its orbit while the optical signal is transmitted between the satellite and the ground, the pointing angle of the beam from the ground terminal needs to be corrected by Point Ahead Angle(PAA) so that the transmitted light reaches the expected location of the satellite. In this paper, we present the algorithm for PAA estimation and control.