For planet earth and beyond
The European Space Agency (ESA) has signed a contract with Thales Alenia Space to develop Element #2 of the High-throughput Digital and Optical Network (HydRON) project, marking a significant step forward in space-based optical communications.
ESA is bringing together Hungarian and Estonian space expertise, which will see the development and launch of Estonia’s first commercial satellite.
The role of optical communication in space missions continues to gain importance with ESA’s multi-orbit High-throughput Optical Network in Space (HydRON) project, which aims to demonstrate European and Canadian technological maturity as well as stimulate industry in maintaining technological leadership during the emerging developments of satellite communication.
Telecommunications equipment company, TESAT, and fibre-optic technology leader, MPB Communications, successfully demonstrated a 100 Gigabit per second (Gbps) data at 40 Watts (W) optical output power over a distance of more than 45,000 kilometres, from geostationary (GEO) to low earth orbit (LEO) in a laboratory environment.
Sending vast quantities of data between satellites speedily and securely means using light to communicate. Now a group of space companies, research centres and universities working with ESA has established a series of specifications on how exactly satellites should use light to talk to one another – and to link to their ground stations.
