We introduce an alternative receiver architecture for deep-space optical communication, in which a single large aperture is replaced by an array of smaller ones with outputs combined coherently, employing phase stabilization based on photon counting events. Optics Express, 32(25): 44799-44815. When citing this work, cite the original published paper. se. We report recent progress on technology developments at the NASA Glenn Research Center using photonic lanterns for coherent optical communications applications. In particular, the development of a spatial mode-diversity optical receiver using a photonic lantern combined with a photonic integrated. Abstract—We show the implementation of an optical coherent receiver suitable for inter-satellite communications supporting both Dual-Polarization Binary Phase Shift Keying (DP-BPSK) and Quadrature Phase Shift Keying (DP-QPSK) modulation formats, enabling data transmission at rates of up to 10 Gbps. In this paper, we propose and demonstrate a proof-of-concept FSO communication receiver based on a spatial demultiplexer and a photonic integrated circuit. Space-Polarization-Coded Coherent Receiver for LO Polarization-Insensitive Detection Hossein Najafi, Ali Bakhshali, Yule Xiong, Zhuhong Zhang, and Zhiping Jiang H.