European satellites exchange images via lasers

The ESA claims to have successfully tested the European data relay system. Satellites can thus send data to ground stations by establishing laser connections with other satellites. They no longer need to be directly in sight of ground stations.

During the trial with the so-called SpaceDataHighway, data was exchanged via a direct laser connection between the Sentinel-1A and Alphasat. The two satellites were 45,000 km apart. With the laser connection, where photos of the earth’s surface were sent, a speed of 600Mbit/s was achieved, with a theoretical maximum speed of 1.8Gbit/s.

According to the ESA, which partners with Airbus Defense, the SpaceDataHighway technology can be seen as groundbreaking because ground stations can read data from satellites without interruption. This is especially important for satellites orbiting in low Earth orbit, such as the Sentinel-1A. By transmitting data with lasers via the Alphasat, which orbits with a fixed position relative to the earth, a ground station can continuously receive data from Sentinel-1A.

In the coming years, ESA and Airbus plan to continue experimenting with laser technology within the Copernicus Earth observation program with new satellites. NASA is also experimenting with lasers for data communication in space and managed to achieve a throughput rate of 622Mbit/s with a data connection to the moon.