Captured laser signals promise boost for comms from space
TeraNet, a network of optical ground stations specialising in high-speed space communications, has received laser signals from a German satellite in low Earth orbit.
This breakthrough is said to pave the way for a 1,000-fold increase in communication bandwidth between space and Earth.
The TeraNet team, led by Associate Professor Sascha Schediwy from the University of Western Australia (UWA) node at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), received laser signals from OSIRISv1, a laser communication payload from the Institute of Communications and Navigation of the German Aerospace Center (DLR).
OSIRISv1 is installed on University of Stuttgart’s Flying Laptop satellite and the signals were detected using two of the TeraNet optical ground stations during flybys of the satellite on July 11, 2024.
“This demonstration is the critical first step in establishing a next-generation space communications network across Western Australia. The next steps include joining this network to other optical ground stations currently being developed in Australia and across the world,” Associate Professor Schediwy said in a statement.
The TeraNet ground stations use lasers to transfer data between satellites in space and users on Earth.
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