SpaceX to Turn on Laser Communications for Starlink Satellites, Reducing Internet Latency

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.

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Cover of Occasional Paper 2104, China Waging War in Space: An After-Action Report. Image courtesy of Henry Sokolski/Nonproliferation Policy Education Center

A China-US war in space: The after-action report

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

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Artists impression of laser-based communication between satellites. Credit: Northumbria University

UK Space Agency Funds Development of New Laser-Based Satellite Communications System

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,

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Ground-based Starfire laser at Kirtland AFB in New Mexico

Air Force’s Small Telescope Tech Will Help Detect Enemy Satellites Sneaking Up On Friendly Ones

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

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ULA’s Atlas V 511 prior to launching the Space Test Program-3 mission from Cape Canaveral Space Force Station, Florida. (ULA)

Space Force launches experimental sats to detect nukes, test laser communications

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

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Tokyo urged to increasingly focus on high-power microwave- and laser-based weapons

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

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