Optical ground station for satellite communication

An optical ground station for optical communication with a satellite in space, comprising:

• a base having a bearing support;
• an intermediate frame mounted on the base, the intermediate frame comprising a guide having a shape of a circular-arc about a first, substantially horizontal axis, the circular-arc-shaped guide engaged with the bearing support so as to allow angular motion of the intermediate frame about the first axis;
• a first actuator configured and arranged to rotate the intermediate frame relative to the base about the first axis, the first actuator comprising a curved linear motor;
• a scale encoder configured to read an angular position of the intermediate frame relative to the base;
• an optical communication terminal mounted in X/Y configuration, the X/Y configuration having singularities located on the first axis, the optical communication terminal mounted to the intermediate frame and having a rotary bearing configured to allow angular motion of the optical communication terminal about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis;
• and
• a second actuator configured and arranged to rotate the optical communication terminal relative to the intermediate frame about the second axis.

An optical ground station for optical communication with a satellite in space, comprising

• a base having a bearing support;
• a circular-arc-shaped intermediate frame mounted on the base, the intermediate frame comprising a guide engaged with the bearing support so as to allow angular motion of the intermediate frame about a first, substantially horizontal, axis corresponding to the axis of the circular-arc-shaped guide;
• a first actuator configured and arranged to rotate the intermediate frame relative to the base about the first axis;
• an optical communication terminal mounted in X/Y configuration, the X/Y configuration having singularities located on the first axis, the optical communication terminal mounted to the intermediate frame and having a rotary bearing configured to allow angular motion of the optical communication terminal about a second axis perpendicular to the first axis, the first and second axes being skew lines separated by a perpendicular distance;
• and
• a second actuator configured and arranged to rotate the optical communication terminal relative to the intermediate frame about the second axis.