Preparation of High-Speed Optical Feeder Link Experiments with "HICALI" Payload

NICT is developing the HICALI ( High Speed Communication with Advanced Laser Instrument) payload and an optical ground station to demonstrate 10 Gbps-class optical satellite communication between geostationary orbit and the ground. The HICALI payload is planned to be mounted on the Engineering Test Satellite-9 (ETS-9) which will be launched in 2023. In this paper, we present the status of the HICALI payload and optical ground station development and discuss the initial experiment results using a star (Betelgeus), a planet ( Venus) and low-Earth orbit satellite-to-ground optical links.