Laser communication

Chronicle

2024

China launches satellites for laser communications

On December 12, 2024, China launched several spacecraft designed to test inter-satellite laser communication channels. The Chinese Aerospace Science and Technology Corporation (CASC) said the satellites were successfully launched into orbit. Read more here

Creation of the first "permanent" terahertz quantum cascade laser in the Russian Federation, which will help develop innovative wireless communication systems

Russian physicists have developed the first domestic quantum cascade laser capable of continuously generating coherent terahertz radiation in the range from 3.1 to 3.9 THz. The development, introduced in November 2024, will accelerate the creation of new wireless communication and medical diagnostics systems. Read more here

Commercial technology of inter-satellite laser communication has been created in Russia

The Russian aerospace company Bureau 1440 has successfully completed the development and testing of commercial inter-satellite laser communication technology, which was announced at the end of July 2024. This technology, tested as part of the creation of a high-speed Internet service, is ready to scale to build a target satellite constellation. Read more here

2023

For the first time, it was possible to transmit video from space to Earth using a laser

On December 11, 2023, NASA specialists for the first time in the world streamed ultra-high definition video from space to Earth via laser communication. This achievement paves the way for the organization of high-speed channels of information transmission in deep space. Read more here.

Chinese company unveils laser satellite data system at 10 Gbps

In mid-October 2023, the Chinese company Chang Guang Satellite Technology (CGST) introduced a high-speed space-to-earth laser communication system. The platform provides the ability to transfer data between the satellite and ground equipment at speeds up to 10 Gbps. Read more here.

Laser revolution in space communications: A system has been created to transmit data between satellites

In mid-June 2023, researchers from the University of California at Los Angeles and the Max Planck Institute for Applied Physics in Germany figured out how to transmit data between satellites using lasers. This will create an Internet highway in space that will work faster and more reliably. Read more here.