Fraunhofer Institute for Physical Measurement Techniques IPMNo space mission can be conducted without the proper ground support. The same is true of the measurement systems sent into space to help us learn more about our planet and the universe. These systems need to be thoroughly tested and calibrated on the ground to ensure they perform once in space.
As part of the Octopus (Optical Calibration Tool: Optical Parametric Ultra-wide tunable Source) project Fraunhofer IPM is developing a tunable light source to support optical ground equipment in testing and calibrating the wavelength-dependent response of Earth monitoring devices on satellites, such as cameras and spectrometers. They key challenge lies in achieving continuous tunability across the wavelength range from 300 nm to 3000 nm in cw-operation with a bandwidth < MHz. This will be achieved using non-linear optical processes such as optical parametric oscillation (OPO) and second harmonic generation (SHG).
Current measurements show that the final system will cover the intended wavelength range with the use of just two commercially available DFB lasers with nearly perfect gaussian beams at the output that can be power adjusted and stabilized.
Project partner
European Space Agency ESA