Freedom Photonics and the University of California Santa Barbara (UCSB) have partnered to develop a novel free-space optical (FSO) link that will enable high-speed interconnects operating at multi-tens of Gbps, which are required for the newer, cryogenically cooled, large format, high definition (HD), fast frame rate, focal plane array (FPA) readout integrated circuits (ROIC). Cooled focal plane array technology is found in many Army missile guidance systems, such as the FGM-148 Javelin. By using free-space optics to collect data from the ROIC through a window in the dewar, it is possible not only to provide a large bandwidth interconnect but to also eliminate the thermal conduction losses through copper wires, which in turn will reduce the Size, Weight and Power (SWaP) of the system.