Accomodation of candidate laser communication links on selected spacecraft configurations

The feasibility of accommodating laser links on medium size, half Ariane 4 and PAM D2 compatible communication spacecraft is discussed. Assessment of the implementation aspects of a laser transceiver package suggests that its size, power dissipation and detector/diode thermal conditions effectively require a spacecraft configuration well adapted to these demands. The standard OTS type configuration is less flexible in this respect compared to the sunpointing configuration. The major challenge with the standard configuration is to provide acceptable thermal conditions for the laser unit, in particular at detector/mixer level of the CO2 laser.