France tests space lasers for secure satellite downlink in world first

PARIS — French know-how companies used laser to speak between a low-orbit nano satellite tv for pc and a industrial floor station in an experiment sponsored by the French Defence Innovation Company, with France’s Armed Forces Ministry dubbing the check a world first.

A satellite tv for pc from Unseenlabs with a laser payload established a secure hyperlink for a number of minutes with an optical floor station provided by Cailabs, in keeping with the ministry, which offered €5.5 million ($6.1 million) in funding for the challenge. The profitable check this summer season opens the best way to integrating the system on France’s future navy satellites, the ministry mentioned.

The purpose-to-point nature of lasers makes them safer than radio frequencies, they usually can’t be jammed the best way radio can, Cailabs CEO Jean-François Morizur informed Protection Information in an interview on Thursday. Moreover, a laser hyperlink can switch very giant information similar to detailed Earth photographs in minutes, one thing which may require a number of orbits utilizing radio alerts, the CEO mentioned.

“Anti-jamming is an enormous one,” Morizur mentioned. “Low likelihood of detection, low likelihood of intercept means you possibly can deploy it in some tough contexts, you simply don’t have the identical signature as an RF antenna. Placing that on a ship is sensible, since you then cut back the radio footprint of your ship – each for ship-to-ship and ship to satellite tv for pc.”

The upper knowledge charges provided by laser are necessary for intelligence purposes, because the rising quantity of detailed satellite tv for pc photographs of Earth is creating “very, very huge information” that may be “fairly difficult” to switch with as we speak’s satellite tv for pc radio transmitters, in keeping with the Cailabs CEO.

The profitable check will make it potential to make use of space-based laser comms on cell, land-based, naval and airborne platforms, the Armed Forces Ministry mentioned. Whereas the experiment is just not the primary for space-to-Earth laser communications, it’s the primary utilizing a commercially out there floor station, in keeping with Morizur.

The French authorities is retaining some info across the testing beneath wraps, together with particulars on the date or who offered the laser payload. The ministry mentioned the Keraunos challenge contributes to targets within the 2024-2030 Army Programming Legislation to strengthen France’s house capabilities.

One of many objectives of the Keraunos optical communications satellite tv for pc challenge is to mitigate the impact of atmospheric turbulence that may damage transmission high quality, the ministry mentioned. Whereas the laser system used within the check will cross via some clouds, it might probably’t penetrate heavy cloud cowl, in keeping with Morizur.

The modified safety state of affairs on the planet has accelerated authorities pondering round house, “one of many battlegrounds,” with a rising realization that house supremacy will probably be necessary, in keeping with Morizur. As well as, the discount in launch prices and low-cost entry to house are dashing up the house financial system, he mentioned.

“The extra the house financial system is rising, the extra you could have new instruments, it turns into a discipline like every other, principally, the place battle occurs.”

The Cailabs floor station used within the check consists of a dome with a big telescope and several other smaller ones, with the complexity being in processing the laser gentle, “that’s sort of the place the magic occurs,” Morizur mentioned. The bottom station might be made truck-sized, in keeping with the CEO. Cailabs rivals embrace Safran in France and BridgeCom in the US, he mentioned.

Cailabs has seven floor stations beneath contract, together with the one used within the check for the Armed Forces Ministry and a second one on order for the French authorities, in addition to stations to be constructed for civilian shoppers together with the European Area Company and South Korea’s Contec. Most orders are for civilian purposes, primarily for imagery, in keeping with Morizur.

Morizur mentioned the marketplace for radio satellite tv for pc gateways is valued at round $3 billion a yr, and whereas optical floor stations will initially be a fraction of that, over time the chance will probably be “within the billions.”

Cailabs is at present main in know-how, value level and product maturity with its floor stations, and was picked for a lot of latest aggressive contracts, in keeping with the CEO. The corporate has arrange a staff in the US, the place it sees contract alternatives, “and we’re trying ahead to supporting the U.S. authorities in many various methods,” Morizur mentioned.

The corporate, which was co-founded by Morizur in 2013 and which has raised €46 million from buyers, is unprofitable for now because it continues to spend on R&D and growth, the CEO mentioned. Cailabs obtained greater than €10 million in orders final yr, and “we stopped calling ourselves a startup a number of years in the past,” he added.