Fully optical spacecraft communications: implementing an omnidirectional PV-cell receiver and 8 Mb/s LED visible light downlink with deep learning error correction

The large surface area of the photovoltaic (PV) cells on a spacecraft provides a significant sensor area, which can be used as an omnidirectional receiver on many solar panel layouts. Previous researchers have proposed the use of this unique asset as a backup communication system [1], realizing that a low-cost, low-power consumption uplink could be created by using the photovoltaics as a laser receiver. Such proposed systems have data rates of less than 10 Kb/s, allowing them to serve as effective emergency alternative- band communication systems, though not as an operational uplink.