  Communication with a spacecraft is typically performed using Radio Frequency
(RF). RF is a well-established and well-regulated technology that enables
communication over long distances as proven by the Voyager 1 & II missions.
However, RF requires licensing of very limited radio spectrum and this poses a
challenge in the future, particularly with spectrum time-sharing. This is of a
concern for emergency communication when it is of utmost urgency to contact the
spacecraft and maintain contact, particularly when there is a major mission
anomaly or loss of contact. For these applications, we propose a backup laser
communication system where a laser is beamed towards a satellite and the
onboard photovoltaics acts as a laser receiver. This approach enables a laser
ground station to broadcast commands to the spacecraft in times of emergency.
Adding an actuated reflector to the laser receiver on the spacecraft enables
two-way communication between ground and the spacecraft, but without the laser
being located on the spacecraft. In this paper, we analyze the feasibility of
the concept in the laboratory and develop a benchtop experiment to verify the
concept. We have also developed a preliminary design for a 6U CubeSat-based
demonstrator to evaluate technology merits
