Evaluation of the impact of atmospheric refraction on the bit error rate in the space-Earth optical communication channel

Classical optical communication allows the design of a high-speed data transmission channel between the spacecraft and the ground station. Its advantages are high interference resistance, high energy efficiency, low detectability, and significant potential for speed enhancement compared to radio communication. However, optical communication has a few technological limitations. This study investigates the contribution of atmospheric refraction to the value of bit error rate (BER). Preliminary results show a decrease in the signal-to-noise ratio as a function of the spacecraft’s elevation angle, resulting in increased bit errors in data communication.