Lunar Laser Communication Demonstration operations architecture,

•Lasercom offers enormous SWaP benefits along with data rate improvements which will benefit future space missions.•LLCD demonstrated the potential for a future operational lasercom system.•Operational lasercom is poised to become a reality within the next decade.

Radio waves have been the standard method for deep-space communications since the earliest days of space exploration. However, the recent success of the Lunar Laser Communications Demonstration (LLCD) program will clearly revolutionize the way data is sent and received from deep space. LLCD demonstrated record-breaking optical up/downlinks between Earth and the Lunar Lasercom Space Terminal (LLST) payload on NASA׳s Lunar Atmosphere Environment Explorer (LADEE) satellite orbiting the Moon. A space-to-ground optical downlink as fast as 622 Mbps was demonstrated as well as a ground-to-space uplink as fast as 20 Mbps. The LLCD operations architecture was designed to support a wide range of operations conditions, multiple ground terminals with varying designs and capabilities, short contact times including energy and thermal constraints, and limited viewing opportunities. This paper will explore the operations architecture used for the LLCD as well as present ideas on how best to make future laser communications operations routine and suitable for wide-scale deployment.