By Sandra Erwin, Published by SpaceNews, 14 June 2022 The contract will support experiments in optical uplinks and downlinks between satellites in geostationary and low Earth orbits WASHINGTON — BlueHalo won an $11 million contract from the Air Force Research Laboratory to develop a pair of optical laser communications terminals
By Cristian Agatie, Published by autorevolution, 14 June 2022 SpaceX has already launched around 2,000 satellites for its Starlink internet service and is now prepared to take it to the next level. Elon Musk has announced that the company will turn on laser inter-communication between satellites to dramatically reduce latency.
By Passant Rabie, Published by Gizmodo, 19 May 2022 The DARPA-led project aims to build a constellation of military satellites in low Earth orbit. Two satellites recently exchanged more than 200 gigabits of data over a distance of about 60 miles (100 kilometers) using laser communication in space. The achievement
By Henry Sokolski, Published by Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, 17 January 2022 Mention military space operations and most people, even sophisticates in Washington, conjure up images of Star Wars: Laser-powered firearms, star fighters and battleships, and cosmic fireball explosions that propel space rubble to infinity and beyond. What’s presumed
By Northumbria University, Published by Scitechdaily, 15 January 2022 The UK Space Agency has awarded almost £650,000 to Northumbria University to continue world-leading work to develop the first commercially available laser-based inter-satellite communications system. Currently satellites use radio frequency to transmit data, but this is limited in terms of speed,
By Brett Tingley, Published by The Drive, 5 January 2022 The previously classified Starfire Optical Range aids astronomers while enabling the Space Force to better detect and track small objects in space. Previously classified adaptive optics technologies enabled the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) to capture an image of
By Theresa Hitchens, Published by Breaking Defense, 8 December 2021 WASHINGTON: Space Force today launched two experimental satellites carrying payloads designed to detect nuclear explosions, keep tabs on space objects, monitor the weather and experiment with laser communications, in addition to some other classified capabilities. The mission, dubbed Space Test
By Kosuke Takahashi, Published in Janes, 29 March 2021 The Japan Ministry of Defense’s (MoD’s) National Institute for Defense Studies (NIDS) has urged Tokyo to increasingly focus on the development of advanced military technologies such as high-power microwave- and laser-based weapon systems to help counter the growing missile threat posed
