SpaceDataHighway: no longer science fiction
The SpaceDataHighway programme has reached a significant milestone with the first EDRS-A relay satellite launched into geostationary orbit on 30 January. The satellite will now undergo a test period before becoming operational for the first customer by mid-2016.
The SpaceDataHighway system will provide high-speed laser communication in space at up to 1.8 gigabits per second. The €500 million programme is the result of a public-private partnership between the European Space Agency (ESA) and Airbus Defence and Space.
The SpaceDataHighway will use communication relay satellites such as EDRS-A to transfer high-volume information from Earth observation satellites, UAVs and surveillance aircraft, or even from a space station such as the ISS. With lasers able to transmit data at up to 1.8 Gbit/s, up to 50 terabytes per day can be transmitted securely in near-real-time to Earth, as opposed to the delay of several hours currently experienced.
The laser technology is being developed by Tesat Spacecom as a highly precise pointing capability that enables two laser terminals located 75,000km apart to be connected. Airbus Defence and Space will validate the broadband (1.8 Gbps) laser link concept between EDRS-A and an Airbus A310 MRTT in mid-2016.
EDRS-A is a hosted payload carried on Eutelsat 9B, a Eurostar E3000-type satellite built by Airbus Defence and Space. It will be positioned at 9° East and will be able to establish laser links with orbiting observation satellites and UAVs positioned over Europe, Africa, Latin America, the Middle East and the eastern coast of North America.
A second satellite will be launched in 2017, which will extend the coverage, capacity and redundancy of the system. A third is expected by 2020 to extend coverage over the Asia-Pacific.
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