Definition Study of the WINDSAT Laser Subsystem

Under the direction of NOAA, a recent study of the feasibility of a global wind measuring satellite system (WINDSAT) has been performed. The results of this study have defined a proposed system concept and hardware requirements of the WINDSAT TIROS-N operational platform. This paper describes the definition study of the laser subsystem undertaken by MSNW in support of the above effort. The laser subsystem requirements as determined by the present mission plan are summarized in Table 1. The design of such a system is guided by several constraints which relate to the space based nature of the device. The most notable are the power consumption requirements, and the subsystem weight and volume specifications. The system design is based on existing CO2 laser technology though some specific areas do require further development.