Laser focus (7/3/23)

Good morning. We hope all of our American readers are gearing up for a day of BBQs and fireworks. A quick reminder that we’ll be off tomorrow, but will be back on Wednesday.

In today's edition...
📡 China’s laser comms milestone
🗑️ Astroscale on space debris
🗓️ The week ahead

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China’s Hits Laser Speed

Chang Guang, a Chinese satellite operator, successfully achieved 10 Gbps satellite-to-ground laser communication via a Jilin-1 satellite, the company announced last week. The downlink speed surpassed a previous record of 1 Gbps via radio frequency connectivity.

The first laser demonstration downlink included a satellite picture of Doha, Qatar.

Beam me down, Scotty: Laser communication's higher frequencies enable significantly faster data transmission compared to traditional radio waves, although excessive cloud coverage can impact connection to laser ground stations.

• Laser communications instruments are also typically smaller and lighter than legacy RF tools.

At 108 birds and growing, Jilin-1 is one of the largest EO constellation in the world. China aims to implement laser communication on Jilin-1 and other commercial satellite constellations to increase data throughput and alleviate bottlenecks with ground stations.

"With [such] optical communication, it is possible to transmit a high-definition movie in one second, which is 10 to 1,000 times faster than the current microwave communication method," said Li Yalin, a researcher from the participating Aerospace Information Research Institute.

NASA’s frickin’ laser beams: NASA is developing its own ultra-high-speed satellite-to-ground laser communication. NASA’s Pathfinder Technology Demonstrator 3 (PTD-3) mission achieved a 200 Gbps downlink rate in May.

• NASA is integrating laser communication technology with Artemis II’s Orion spacecraft to provide high-speed data transfers from the Moon.

Laser beams are also envisioned for inter-satellite communication. SpaceX, for example, plans to activate laser crosslinks on its next-gen Starlink birds, allowing its satellites to transmit data to each other.

Sponsored

The ROI of Space Sustainability

In 2012, there were just over 1,000 active satellites in orbit. There are now 10,000, ~2,700 of which were deployed in the last 12 months. During the early days of the space economy, satellite operators could overlook spacecraft longevity and collision risk. This is no longer the case.

As the space economy matures, space sustainability has taken center stage, and stakeholders are developing new strategies and tech to enhance industry efficiency and foster growth.

The Space Sustainability ROI: This piece dives into how debris mitigation and satellite life extension will improve ROI for industry stakeholders including:

• Satellite operators

• Investors

• Insurance

• Governments

Enter Astroscale: The article will then explore how companies like Astroscale are developing tech to address space sustainability and improve efficiency in the space ecosystem.

In Other News

• A Russian military satellite was reportedly knocked out by a cybersecurity attack.

• The SLS rocket’s Artemis II flight software completed an initial qualification test.

• SpaceX filed its answers to allegations in the environmental groups’ Starship lawsuit against the FAA.

• Euclid, ESA’s dark energy-hunting space telescope, lifted off from Cape Canaveral.

• Cargo Dragon splashed down with 3,600 lbs of ISS experiments.

The View from Space

Howdy, neighbor! Hubble checked in the nearby ESO 174-1 galaxy a mere 11M light-years from Earth.