Fiber-Based Laser Transmitter Technology Maturation for Spectroscopic Measurements from Space

NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center has been developing lidar to remotely measure CO 2 and CH4 in the Earth's atmosphere. We have advanced the tunable laser technology to enable high-fidelity measurements from space. In this paper, we will report on the progress of a fiber-based, 1.57-micron wavelength, laser transmitter that has demonstrated the optical performance required for a low earth orbiting instrument. The Laser transmitter has been packaged and is undergoing environmental testing to demonstrate its technology readiness for space.