The Global Ecosystems Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Lidar, is a global three-dimensional biomass lidar instrument aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Its core mission is to measure the global carbon balance of Earth’s forests with three laser transmitters using multi-beam waveform-capture methods. GEDI’s laser transmitter concept was originally funded by NASA Goddard’s Earth Science Technology Office (ESTO) for future Earth Altimetry and Lidar missions approximately 20 years ago, and after a winding story of stops and starts, the first flight-ready transmitter was a 10 mJ-class system for GEDI’s ISS-based specifications. Furthermore, no adjustment in drive parameters has been required nor significant decay detected after four years of near continuous operation of three on-board lasers, designed for a two-year mission. We present an overview of the GEDI laser development process, report on their mission performance, the major lessons learned, and some critical insight into our in-house flight quality development process that enabled their delivery within budget, schedule, and low risk extended mission life capability.
The Global Ecosystems Dynamics Investigation (GEDI) Lidar, is an Earth Science remote sensing instrument aboard the International Space Station (ISS) and the Japanese Experiment Module (JEM). Its core mission is to measure the global carbon balance of Earth’s forests by using a set of three solid state laser transmitters in a multibeam waveform capture lidar technique. GEDI’s laser transmitters and precision optical system transmits over 3.4 million laser pulses to the Earth every hour, each pulse producing an individual 3-D biomass column measurement. To enable a successful two-year mission, the lasers had to be reliable, highly repeatable in performance with each measurement power cycle, and designed with minimal part count for reduced manufacture complexity and cost. These transmitters are in-house products; developed, constructed, qualified, and fully integrated into the GEDI instrument at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center. We will present the lasers’ path from initial design to flight operation, with emphasis on the major milestones, critical issues, and lessons learned. Full credit goes to the excellent team effort that led to the successful commissioning and initiation of full-time science operations in March 2019.
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