The TeraNet team, led by Associate Professor Sascha Schediwy from the UWA node at the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), successfully received laser signals from OSIRISv1, a laser communication payload developed by the Institute of Communications and Navigation of the German Aerospace Center (DLR). The signals, transmitted from the University of Stuttgart’s Flying Laptop satellite, were detected using two of TeraNet’s optical ground stations during satellite flybys last Thursday.

“This demonstration is the critical first step in establishing a next-generation space communications network across Western Australia. The next steps include joining this network to other optical ground stations currently being developed in Australia and across the world,” said Associate Professor Schediwy.

The TeraNet ground stations employ lasers instead of traditional wireless radio signals to transfer data between satellites and Earth. Lasers can transfer data at thousands of gigabits per second due to their much higher frequencies compared to radio waves, allowing for significantly greater data density. Since the launch of the first satellite, Sputnik 1, nearly 70 years ago, space communication has primarily relied on radio technology, which has remained relatively unchanged. With the increasing number of data-generating satellites, there is now a critical bottleneck in transmitting this data back to Earth.

One challenge of laser communication is that laser signals can be interrupted by clouds and rain. The TeraNet team is addressing this by establishing a network of three ground stations across Western Australia. This redundancy ensures that if one ground station is affected by weather, another with clear skies can receive the data.

One of the two TeraNet ground stations that received the satellite laser signal is built on the back of a custom-built Jeep truck. This mobile station can be rapidly deployed to locations requiring ultra-fast space communications, such as remote communities cut off by natural disasters.

High-speed laser communication from space is poised to revolutionize data transfer for Earth observation satellites, enhance and secure military communication networks, and support remote operations in sectors such as autonomous mining and national disaster planning.

The ICRAR-based TeraNet team received funding in 2023 from the Australian Government, the Western Australian Government, and UWA as part of the Australian Space Agency’s Moon to Mars Demonstrator Mission grant program. The $6.3 million project supports the construction of three TeraNet optical ground stations in Western Australia, with in-kind access to laser communications-equipped satellites provided by the German Aerospace Center (DLR).

TeraNet will support multiple international space missions operating between low Earth orbit and the Moon. The network will use both conventional optical communications standards and more advanced technologies, including deep-space communication, ultra-high-speed coherent communications, quantum-secured communications, and optical positioning and timing.

The TeraNet network comprises a ground station at UWA, a second ground station at the Mingenew Space Precinct 300 km north of Perth, and a mobile ground station currently being commissioned at the European Space Agency’s New Norcia facility. This comprehensive network aims to revolutionize space communication, providing faster and more secure data transfer solutions for various applications on Earth and beyond.

By Impact Lab