A Compact High-Precision Frequency Swept Interferometer (FSI) for Autonomous Ranging of Satellite Constellation

High precision ranging system is an important part of satellite engineering technologies. Especially, with the rapid developments of satellite constellations, the autonomous laser ranging mechanism becomes the focus of studies. The ranging accuracy which can decide the performance of different functions such as communication, navigation and attitude control systems, is the key of the satellites design indicators. When take into account the load capacity of satellite platforms, the size of ranging instruments can't be ignored. In this article, we design a compact high-precision laser ranging system through the frequency swept interferometer (FSI) technology. Compared to the existing design, our research introduces a bargain between ranging accuracy and the size of system. With a ranging distance of a few hundred meters, our design can reach microns level accuracy in repeating experiments. The realized accuracy level by our design can support high accurate navigation systems and high speed laser communication systems as auxiliary equipment.