Kristen Smith
Kepler Communications, in partnership with French optical ground station company Cailabs, has demonstrated space-to-ground optical data relay in multiple scenarios for the first time.
Data transmissions were performed between the optical Pathfinder satellite equipped with TESAT’s SCOT80 terminal in low Earth orbit and Cailabs’ optical ground station in France, demonstrating space-to-ground laser links that meet the Space Development Agency’s required data rates and link acquisition success rate, Kepler said Wednesday.
SDA’s Missile-Tracking Network
The SDA is developing the Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture, a layered network of military spacecraft equipped with inter-satellite laser terminals for data relay, communications, and missile warning and tracking.
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In 2024, Kepler won a prime position on the SDA’s Hybrid Acquisition for proliferated Low-earth Orbit contract, a flexible and fast contracting vehicle supporting the agency’s PWSA Tranche 2 Demonstration and Experimentation System and other demonstration projects.
Optical Data Relay – An Operational Capability
According to Mina Mitry, CEO of Kepler, the demo shifted optical data relay from a theoretical concept to an operational capability, marking a critical milestone in creating resilient on-orbit optical infrastructure.
In a press release, the company said the successful presentation of the capability is the first step to validating other space-to-ground scenarios, including communications with airborne assets, and substantiates the ability to transmit data across different orbits.
