Laser Satellite Communications: From Experiments to a New Industry

How optical technologies are reshaping satellite networks — from orbital backbones to an interplanetary internet.

A few years ago, lasers in space seemed exotic — experimental demos unlikely to become mainstream. Over the past year, however, the situation has changed dramatically. Satellites now exchange hundreds of gigabits per second, terabytes of data are downlinked to Earth in minutes, and for the first time a probe in deep space has transmitted video back home via laser. This article explores the key technological milestones, explains how they work, and looks at what lies ahead.

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Three Classes of Laser Communications

Laser links in space can be grouped into three main categories:

• Class 1. Inter-satellite links (ISL): the backbone of global orbital networks.

• Class 2. Satellite-to-Earth: high-speed optical downlinks through the atmosphere.

• Class 3. Deep space: laser internet for interplanetary missions.