Fiber laser-based scanning lidar for space rendezvous and docking

Abstract

Lidar systems have played an important role in space rendezvous and docking (RVD). A new type of scanning lidar is developed using a high-repetition-rate pulsed fiber laser and a position detector. It will be a candidate for autonomous space RVD between two spacecrafts. The lidar can search and track cooperative targets in a large region without artificial guidance. The lidar's operational range spans from 18 m to 20 km, and the relative angle between two aircrafts can be measured with high accuracy. A novel fiber laser with tunable pulse energy and repetition rate is developed to meet the wide dynamic detection range of the lidar. This paper presents the lidar system's composition, performance, and experimental results in detail.