• Space/Science
  • GeekSpeak
  • Mysteries of
    the Multiverse
  • Science Fiction
  • The Comestible Zone
  • Off-Topic
  • Community
  • Flame
  • CurrentEvents

Recent posts

Ballad for a departed President ER January 20, 2021 5:52 pm (CurrentEvents)

Yo Podrock Vitruvius January 20, 2021 3:14 pm (GeekSpeak)

Q-anon trash in critical condition after being bitch-slapped by reality RL January 20, 2021 2:37 pm (CurrentEvents)

And now the long painful task of picking up the pieces begins... RL January 20, 2021 9:36 am (CurrentEvents)

Sigh... They just don't make Nazis like they used to... RL January 20, 2021 9:00 am (CurrentEvents)

Would the last person to leave the White House please turn out the gas-light? RL January 20, 2021 7:23 am (CurrentEvents)

I've lost track...where are we in this play? podrock January 18, 2021 9:40 pm (Off-Topic)

Texas man who stormed Capitol allegedly threatened to shoot kids if they turned him in RL January 18, 2021 3:58 pm (CurrentEvents)

Trump to issue ~100 pardons Tuesday RL January 17, 2021 6:26 pm (CurrentEvents)

The Money? podrock January 17, 2021 6:05 pm (CurrentEvents)

Brace yourselves... the next week could be rough... RL January 16, 2021 6:00 pm (CurrentEvents)

Home » Space/Science

Laser communications is blasting off June 10, 2020 6:12 pm RL

https://spacenews.com/dod-to-test-laser-communications-terminals-in-low-earth-orbit/

Optical communications terminals that use lasers to beam data across space will be tested in upcoming experiments by the Space Development Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.

These terminals are important pieces of DoD’s future low Earth orbit constellations which will require satellite-to-satellite optical crosslinks so data collected in space can be immediately sent to military command centers on the ground. Laser communications systems have much faster data transmission rates than radio-based systems but DoD has concerns such as the effects of space radiation on optical terminals and whether the electronics can withstand the stress of space launch.

“Optical inter-satellite links are one of the most critical technologies required to be demonstrated for Tranche 0,” the Space Development Agency said in a request for proposals issued last month for its communications constellation known at the transport layer. Tranche 0 is the initial deployment planned for 2022.

The satellites in the transport layer have to pass data in space and down to the ground to military users with very low latency. That can’t happen “without the demonstration and maturation of optical inter-satellite crosslinks — with radio frequency (RF) crosslinks as a backup,” the SDA request says. One of the concerns in using lasers for downlinks is penetrating the Earth’s atmosphere, especially through clouds.

SDA wants to build one or more constellations of hundreds of satellites for communications and for missile tracking. It plans to buy optical terminals from multiple vendors so it’s asking bidders to ensure their hardware is interoperable with those of other vendors.

Several companies make advanced optical terminals for NASA’s deep-space communications and follow common standards. But there is no accepted industry standard for optical inter-satellite links in lower orbits below geosynchronous range, according to SDA.

In its request for proposals, SDA included a recommended standard to make links interoperable but it will still need suppliers to collaborate to make sure their systems are compatible.

One of the companies now working with SDA on optical links is General Atomics Electromagnetic Systems. GA-EMS announced on June 5 that it signed an agreement with the agency to conduct a series of experiments for optical inter-satellite links using the company’s laser communication terminals.

“These experiments will demonstrate robust communication capabilities through multiple mediums, from Earth, to and between satellites in multiple orbits, and on in to deep space,” Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS, said in a statement.

For the experiment scheduled to launch in March 2021, the company will develop two 12U cubesats, each hosting an infrared payload and a laser communications terminal.

  • If I lived through the 80s, I'd be having SDI flashbacks about now. by VelociraptorBlade 2020-06-10 20:13:46
    • Laser-com is just another form of communications... by RL 2020-06-10 21:09:30
      • I'm not disputing that by VelociraptorBlade 2020-06-10 22:16:11

    Search

    The Control Panel

    • Log in
    • Register