High Speed, Mini Laser Terminals for USSF Real-time Exploitation of Commercial Earth Observation Data

Neuron is building data transport layer access through mass manufacture of a ~6,500 cm│, ~5kg, optical terminal, the Neuron Node, that internalizes and automates heterogeneous networking through 1 Gbps at 1000 km symmetric OISLs. Internalized, ruggedized, and miniaturized Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking (PAT) systems allows the Neuron Node to significantly lower complexity for client satellites to host an OISL unit. The Neuron Node is small enough to fit onto a small sat, and has a PAT system resilient enough to reliably close links between dissimilar orbital regimes across high relative velocities. Importantly, this entails that satellites do not have to be in any pre-planned, orchestrated orbit in order to link into a network in real-time. Neuron overcomes the cold start problem of networks by decreasing the barrier to entry for EO satellites, transport layer operators, and government entities by lowering the engineering cost associated with creating and participating in a commercial OISL transport layer.