EXPLORING REDUCED SWAP-C OPTICAL COMMUNICATIONS FOR ENHANCING PWSA WITH COMMERCIAL INFRARED DATA FROM THE FIRESAT CONSTELLATION

The Space Development Agency (SDA) seeks to leverage the growing number of commercial low Earth orbit (LEO) remote sensing satellites to enhance warfighter capabilities. Muon Space's FireSat constellation, with its multispectral electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) sensing capabilities, offers high-refresh, tactically relevant data for various defense applications. Integrating FireSat with the SDA's Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) Transport Layer is crucial for low-latency dissemination of this data to the tactical edge.To overcome the interoperability challenges of integrating commercial and defense networks, Muon proposes a trade study of commercial optical communications terminals (OCTs) and an integration feasibility assessment. This study would enable the further development and testing of a FireSat testbed with a low size, weight, power and cost (SWaP-C) OCT, followed by future on-orbit demonstration of interoperability between FireSat and the PWSA Transport Layer's optical mesh network for secure and rapid data delivery, benefiting a wide range of DoD end-users. The project aims to bridge the gap between commercial and defense networks, ultimately benefiting both the military and the commercial sector. This project would also enable integration of the FireSat constellation with commercial optical data relay networks, enabling ultra-low-latency data transport for both DoD and commercial customers.