A 698 nm laser system for excitation of fluorescent quantum light sources on a CubeSat mission

S. Schwertfeger^a, E. Da Ros^a,b, M. Bursy^a, A. Wicht^a, D. Pardo^c, A. Sharma^c, S. Sachidananda^c, A. Ling^c, M. Krutzik^a,b

Published in:

Acta Astronaut., vol. 243, pp. 91-98, doi:10.1016/j.actaastro.2026.01.060 (2026).

Abstract:

This manuscript reports on the development and qualification of an ECDL-based, fiber-coupled laser system at a wavelength of λ = 698 nm for space applications. We designed and developed the optical and mechanical configuration, along with the laser driving and thermal management electronics, to meet space compatibility requirements. Validation tests were conducted on off-the-shelf components to assess their suitability for satellite deployment. The final system integrates all components into a compact design optimized for CubeSat platforms.

^a Ferdinand-Braun-Institut (FBH), Gustav-Kirchhoff-Str.4, 12489 Berlin, Germany
^b Institut für Physik and CSMB, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Newtonstr. 15, Berlin 12489, Germany
^c Centre for Quantum Technologies, Department of Physics, National University of Singapore, 117543 Singapore, Singapore

Keywords:

ECDL, Laser, Space test, New space

© 2026 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd on behalf of IAA. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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