An Overview of the Galileo Optical Experiment (GOPEX)

K E Wilson; J R Lesh

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NASA NTRS · 19940009913

An Overview of the Galileo Optical Experiment (GOPEX)

K E Wilson·J R Lesh

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Abstract

Uplink optical communication to a deep-space vehicle was demonstrated. In the Galileo Optical Experiment (GOPEX), optical transmissions were beamed to the Galileo spacecraft by Earth-based transmitters at the Table Mountain Facility (TMF), California, and Starfire Optical Range (SOR), New Mexico. The demonstration took place over an eight-day period (9 Dec. through 16 Dec. 1992) as Galileo receded from Earth on its way to Jupiter, and covered ranges from 1-6 million km. At 6 million km (15 times the Earth-Moon distance), the laser beam transmitted from TMF eight days after Earth flyby covered the longest known range for transmission and detection.

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K E Wilson, J R Lesh. 1993-08-15. An Overview of the Galileo Optical Experiment (GOPEX). https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/19940009913

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