简体中文

Dutch satellite instruments have achieved milestone achievements in transmitting laser data to Earth

477
2024-01-25 10:45:47
查看翻译

TNO wrote that this is the first time Dutch technology has been used to send data from a satellite to a ground station press release on Earth. This technology uses invisible laser signals to achieve faster and safer data flow compared to ubiquitous communication radio frequencies.

Kees Buijsrogge, Director of TNO Space, said, "This critical milestone marks a significant achievement for the Netherlands and Europe in advancing technological sovereignty within a strong NATO, as it will achieve faster and safer broadband connectivity. This is a temporary result of the emerging Dutch industry's collaborative efforts dedicated to optical satellite communication.".

Almost all connections in daily life, such as Wi Fi, Bluetooth, or 5G, are based on radio frequency waves. Due to the increase in data consumption, this radio spectrum is slowly filling up, causing scarcity and interference. Laser satellite communication provides a solution as it can send data faster and safer through invisible laser signals. The radio frequency can reach speeds of several hundred megabits, and in some cases can reach several thousand megabits per second.

The speed of laser communication has increased by 100 to 1000 times. Even at lower speeds, laser communication links are interesting because the system is smaller, lighter, and more energy-efficient, which is crucial for space applications. It is also safer because it uses a very narrow optical laser beam instead of a wide radio signal. This makes eavesdropping more difficult and interference can be quickly detected.

The laser communication system SmallCAT was launched by SpaceX on a satellite operated by the Norwegian Space Agency in April 2023. Since then, TNO has been preparing to establish a connection between satellites flying in low Earth orbit and optical ground stations in The Hague and Tenerife Island. In such an experiment, the ground station first sends a signal to the satellite, and the laser communication system on the satellite must find the signal through its overpass. Then, it sends the laser back to the Earth that the ground station needs to capture. This is very challenging as the satellite flies at a speed of 28000 kilometers per hour at an altitude of 500 kilometers.

In several experiments, TNO successfully found two ground stations from space and sent back and recaptured the laser beam with extremely high accuracy. Once the link is established, data is transmitted from satellite instruments and received by the optical ground station in The Hague at a maximum data rate of 1 gigabit per second. The ground station of TNO in The Hague was jointly developed by TNO and Airbus Netherlands. This is the first time such a compact satellite instrument made in the Netherlands has achieved this. It indicates that the terminals on the satellite and the ground station are working, and they can also be found under real conditions.

Source: Laser Net

相关推荐
  • Efficient implementation of laser welding automation using modern measurement technology

    Ensuring the integrity and quality of the welded hair clip is crucial in the assembly of electric motors. Usually, 160 to 220 hair clips are welded to each motor, and the accuracy of these welds directly affects the overall quality of the stator and motor. The traditional method of detecting these welds is difficult to balance the requirements of safety and accuracy, which often leads to damage to...

    2024-06-13
    查看翻译
  • Laser company nLIGHT announces financial results for the second quarter of 2024

    Recently, nLIGHT, a manufacturer of high-power semiconductors and fiber lasers, announced its financial performance for the second quarter of 2024.According to the financial report, nLIGHT achieved a revenue of $50.5 million in the second quarter of 2024, a year-on-year decrease of 5.2% and an increase of 13% compared to the first quarter; The GAAP net loss for the second quarter was $11.7 million...

    2024-08-20
    查看翻译
  • Topological high-order harmonic spectroscopy in Communications Physics

    It is reported that researchers from the University of Salamanca in Spain have demonstrated a high-order harmonic spectroscopy scheme generated by the interaction between a structured driving beam and a crystal solid target. This work promotes the topological analysis of high-order harmonic fields as a spectroscopic tool to reveal nonlinearity in the coupling of light and target symmetry. The rele...

    2024-01-15
    查看翻译
  • Micro active vortex laser

    Recently, Dong Yibo, from the Photonic Chip Research Institute of Shanghai University of Technology, published his research findings titled "Nanoprinted Diffractive Layer Integrated Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Vortex Lasers with Scalable Topological Charge" as the first author in the internationally renowned journal Nano Letters.This achievement was jointly completed by the team of academicia...

    2023-10-24
    查看翻译
  • French silicon optical company Scintil realizes the integration of III-VI DFB lasers and amplifiers with standard silicon optical technology

    Recently, French silicon photonics company Scintil Photonics announced an exciting collaboration, successfully integrating III-V-DFB lasers and amplifiers with standard silicon photonics technology in the production of Israeli semiconductor company Tower Semiconductor. This milestone collaboration marks a crucial step for Scintil in strengthening its supply chain, bringing new possibilities to com...

    2024-03-05
    查看翻译