Modular open systems architecture for optical networks in Spacecraft

This paper describes an architecture intended to support all-optical signaling and routing to and through spacecraft. The approach is based on a dense wavelength division multiplexing (DWDM) router, transceivers, and internal optoelectronic translators that support the interface of high-performance sensors and processing arrays. Key to this approach is the novelty of an optical middle box (OMB) scheme. Each OMB contains a number of optical ports, electrical ports, and reconfigurable optical transmitter and receiver elements. Laser communications transceivers interface to the optical router and support dynamic reconfiguration. A basic interoperability protocol (BIP) defines a type of "optical dial tone" through which metadata is relayed to provide communications management cues to a control processor that manages the entire payload enclave (router and several OMB-based devices, with a spacecraft host interface). This paper describes details of the optical router, OMB, reconfigurable transceivers and supporting protocols.