Abstract
Communication is an ever expanding field driven by many factors. As space borne instrumentation and data gathering/processing systems advance, an inherent increase in the data rate and bandwidth of the communications system follows. Optical terminals can provide advantages such as larger data bandwidths, lower relative power consumption, smaller size/weight over microwave systems due to the nature of the medium used. However due to the narrow divergence of the medium used in optical communications, a very accurate and responsive pointing system is required in order to maintain the link. A pointing error greater than a few micro radians at any stage can dramatically reduce the power seen on the receiver, leading to data corruption and or loss of that channel. To maximise the performance of an optical link a stable and precise mechanism is required for the duration of communications. Magnetic levitation technology provides a solution to overcoming disturbances, and offers resolution that is only constrained by the sensors and system noise. Magnetic levitation has been considered and implemented in many areas and differing fields, and achieved high precision positioning. However this technology has not been applied to a space-borne magnetically levitated optical telescope. In this research a new concept for the precise pointing of space craft systems is developed using magnetic levitation to mechanically isolate the two halves of the Precise Pointing Mechanism (PPM). Such a technology offers an active anti-vibration solution that offers superior anti-vibration and jitter isolation compared to existing technologies. This new concept is applied to a bespoke novel optical communications terminal in which the separate pointing mechanisms of a conventional optical terminal are combined into a single mechanism. This is the first demonstration of such an optical system, however the technology can adapted for a range of applications where precise pointing and active anti-vibration would be advantageous to the system.