English

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

958
2024-01-25 10:45:47
See translation

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

Related Recommendations
  • XTool enables pre-sale of F1 superfiber and diode laser cutting machines

    Tool has started pre-sales for the F1 Ultra, a 20 watt fiber and diode dual laser engraving machine. OEMs have stated that it is a win-win product and its so-called "flagship" model.Fiber lasers are mainly used for metal materials and usually work faster than diode lasers, but other materials have better performance when using diode lasers. F1 Ultra aims to bridge this gap by using a power of 20W ...

    2024-05-09
    See translation
  • The fourth CEO of this laser giant takes over strongly

    According to the latest news, on June 3, 2024, Coherent Corp. appointed Jim Anderson as CEO and he will also become a member of the board, replacing Vincent "Chuck" Mattera.Image source: CoherentAnderson (left) Mattera (right)Dr. Vincent "Chuck" D. Mattera, Jr. previously notified the Coherent Board of Directors on February 20, 2024, stating that he would resign from the position of CEO upon his ...

    2024-06-07
    See translation
  • Professor Wu Dong's team at the University of Science and Technology of China created a "dancing microrobot" using femtosecond laser composite materials.

    It was learned from the University of Science and Technology of China that the team of Professor Wu Dong of the Micro and Nano Engineering Laboratory of the school proposed a femtosecond laser two-in-one multi-material processing strategy, manufactured a micromechanical joint composed of temperature-sensitive hydrogel and metal nanoparticles, and then developed a multi-joint humanoid micromachine ...

    2023-08-11
    See translation
  • Scientists use glass to create femtosecond lasers

    Image source: Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne, SwitzerlandScience and Technology Daily, Beijing, September 27th (Reporter Zhang Jiaxin) Commercial femtosecond lasers are manufactured by placing optical components and their mounting bases on a substrate, which requires strict alignment of optical components. So, is it possible to manufacture femtosecond lasers entirely from glas...

    2023-09-28
    See translation
  • Omnitron Announces Partnership with Silex Microsystems to Mass Produce MEMS Scanning Mirrors for LiDAR

    According to reports, Omnitron Sensors, a pioneer in the development of MEMS sensing technology for large-scale and low-cost markets, recently announced that it will collaborate with Silex Microsystems, a subsidiary of Semielectronics, to mass produce MEMS scanning mirrors for LiDAR.Eric Aguilar, co-founder and CEO of Omnitron Sensors, said, "We have noticed a huge demand from manufacturers of adv...

    2023-09-19
    See translation