NESCA Awardee Projects

Development of a bidirectional ground-space optical link emulator for telecom systems turbulence resilience qualification

Project Lead: Perrine Lognone
Institution: Durham University
Partner:Telespazio UK Ltd
Amount: £14,487
Theme: Smart and Resilient Networks

The rapid growth of space optical and quantum communications makes UK capability in this area critical for digital sovereignty. While space technologies are routinely tested against the space environment, no facility currently exists to test ground and space optical modems against atmospheric turbulence, a key limitation for reliable space–ground links. This project will develop a bidirectional ground–space optical link emulator using a 7 km free-space optical link at Durham University, integrating adaptive optics. The platform will enable realistic testing of the local industry telecom and quantum payloads, providing a crucial pre-flight validation step before in-space deployment.

More about the Project Lead:

Dr. Perrine Lognoné is a researcher in space optical communications specializing in free-space optical links between ground stations and satellites. She received degrees from the Institut d’Optique Graduate School and Université Paris-Saclay in 2020, before completing her PhD at Télécom Paris and ONERA in 2023 on the optical and digital optimization of ground-to-satellite feeder links. Her research focuses on atmospheric turbulence characterization and mitigation, adaptive optics, and DSP techniques for high-capacity optical communications. She develops methods to improve uplink correction and communication reliability under realistic atmospheric conditions. Her work also explores applications in quantum communications and astronomy. Ultimately, her research bridges atmospheric physics, optical systems, and telecommunications to enable robust next-generation space communication networks.