Demonstration of Wavefront Correction in a Sodium Laser Guide Beacon Uplink

HartSCI proposes to demonstrate new technology to sharpen the sodium laser guide star used by adaptively-corrected DoD telescopes conducting observations in support of space domain awareness (SDA). Under this program, a laser-guided wavefront compensation system will be demonstrated in the uplink beam of a sodium guide star launch telescope. Performance verification will use a separate scoring telescope viewing the mesospheric sodium beacon from a position adjacent to the launch aperture. The system will be constructed, delivered to the government, and tested at a site to be determined in consultation with the government. The system will also serve as a prototype for additional units that HartSCI intends to deliver both to military customers for SDA and to astronomical observatories planning adaptive optics instrumentation for existing and future large ground-based telescopes.