New laser promises to make communication between Earth and space a thousand times faster

With more and more satellites in orbit, improving Earth’s connection to space is becoming increasingly important. That’s according to a team at the University of Western Australia, who are developing a laser that promises to speed up that connection by a factor of 1,000.

The number may seem ridiculous, but it was achieved in the team’s first tests of a prototype system that communicates with a German satellite in space. The initiative Terra Net Lasers are used instead of traditional wireless radio signals to transmit data between satellites in space and users on Earth.

According to the university, the laser can transmit data at speeds of 1,000 gigabits per second, because it operates at much higher frequencies than radio, so more data can be packed in every second.

Space has been home to satellites for nearly seven decades, and in recent years, as private companies have entered the sector, the number of satellites in orbit has been growing dramatically, so thinking about faster-than-radio communications solutions could be crucial to the future of space exploration, researchers say.

The tests were carried out using a laser at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), which connected OSIRISv1, a laser communications payload from the Institute for Communications and Navigation of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). OSIRISv1 was installed on the Flying Laptop satellite at the University of Stuttgart.

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Initially, the system was planned for deployment in Australia, but there is nothing to prevent future expansion. “This demonstration is a critical first step towards establishing a next-generation satellite communications network across Western Australia. Next steps include joining this network with other optical ground stations currently under development in Australia and around the world,” Associate Professor Al-Shadiwi said on the institution’s website.

The laser communication system also has problems.

The downside, according to the scientists, is that the laser signals can be interrupted by clouds and rain. The TeraNet team is working to mitigate this by creating a network of three ground stations spread across Western Australia. This means that if it’s cloudy at one ground station location, the satellite can download its data to another location with clear skies.

Additionally, one of the two ground stations that receive the laser signal from the satellite is built into the back of a custom truck. This means it can be quickly deployed to locations that need high-speed satellite communications, such as remote communities where traditional communications links have been cut off by natural disasters.

Once deployed worldwide, the global laser communications system could enable continuous, ultra-fast data downloads directly from satellites. The technology could also be used in deep space communications, ultra-fast coherent communications, secure quantum communications, and optical positioning and timing.