Recently, Changguang Satellite Technology Co., Ltd. (referred to as Changguang Satellite) used the independently developed "Jilin-1" Platform 02A01 satellite and Platform 02A02 satellite to carry out my country's first inter-satellite laser 100Gbps ultra-high-speed and high-resolution remote sensing image transmission test and achieved success. This technology has reached the international advanced level.
The "Jilin-1" constellation is the core project under construction of Changguang Satellite. It has successfully achieved the phased goal of "100 flying stars" and has gradually become an important global source of aerospace remote sensing information. With the continuous improvement of constellation time resolution and spatial resolution, how to further improve the timeliness of data return has become a common problem faced by large remote sensing satellite constellations. In November 2021, Changguang Satellite established a research team. Based on the design principle of "simple and reliable" and the design concept of "integration of satellites and laser terminals", it independently developed high-bandwidth, multi-mode, and high-precision inter-satellite laser communication terminals based on business applications, and steadily promoted the verification of key inter-satellite laser communication technologies.
The inter-satellite laser communication terminal independently developed by Changguang Satellite supports multiple communication modes such as co-orbital inter-satellite communication, out-of-orbit inter-satellite communication and satellite-to-ground communication in terms of mode design. In terms of communication system design, it has two modes of data transmission: non-coherent system and coherent system, with the highest supported rates reaching 10Gbps and 100Gbps respectively. The team has conquered key technologies such as high coupling efficiency, multi-optical axis consistent assembly, high-precision capture and tracking control, and high-bandwidth coherent communication. This series of technologies not only promotes the development of my country's space laser communication technology, but also provides more advanced and reliable solutions for future space communications.
As of January 10, 2024, Changguang Satellite has completed inter-satellite high-speed laser communication tests at 10Gbps and 100Gbps rates. During the stable link establishment period, the communication bit error rate was 0, and the high-resolution remote sensing images transmitted between satellites were successfully downloaded, marking the first time that my country has achieved inter-satellite laser 100Gbps ultra-high-speed and high-resolution remote sensing image transmission.
In the early stage, Changguang Satellite used a self-developed vehicle-mounted laser communication ground station to successfully complete a two-way satellite-to-ground link with the "Jilin-1" MF02A04 satellite, with a communication rate of 10Gbps. At this point, Changguang Satellite has fully mastered the satellite-ground and inter-satellite laser high-speed communication technology, and established a space high-speed laser data transmission network test system, which provides a solid technical foundation for the construction of a space-based/ground-based integrated laser communication transmission network, provides technical support for real-time downloading of massive image data from ultra-high-resolution remote sensing constellations, and takes a solid step towards better serving public users with remote sensing information.
The success of inter-satellite laser communication is of great significance to the rapid return of remote sensing data and on-orbit real-time monitoring. At the same time, the space high-speed laser data transmission network test of remote sensing satellites can provide important technical support for the large-scale networking construction of Internet satellite constellations. It can not only help the construction of large-scale high-speed and low-latency space bearer networks, but also explore new ways to break the bottleneck of satellite and ground users and feed data.