Improving data transmission with optical satellite comms

The iLAuNCH Trailblazer program is setting out to revolutionise satellite communications, thanks to a new project that will develop technologies to give Australians faster and more affordable access to data.

Our growing data demands are creating a strain on traditional radio satellite communication systems, which are already at full capacity. In 2022 alone, the average home internet user consumed 257 GB of data per month, and this figure is only set to rise. Australia, which relies on subsea cables and satellite communications through the radio spectrum for its international data exchange, faces mounting pressure to meet these increasing data demands.

A new project from the Australian Government’s iLAuNCH (Innovative Launch, Automation, Novel Materials, Communications and Hypersonic) Trailblazer program, led by The Australian National University (ANU) with key partners Optus and Leonardo UK, will see the team working together to build smaller, lower-cost laser communications ground stations that will bypass the radio bottleneck. Once in operation, these compact, low-cost ground stations and miniaturised, low-power on-board terminals will make downlink-to-Earth communications commercially viable.

“This project is redefining the way things have always been done, demonstrating how Australian innovation and collaboration is unlocking new opportunities in the global space industry,” said iLAuNCH Trailblazer Executive Director Darin Lovett.

“It’s a clear demonstration of how iLAuNCH are building sovereign capability in the critical field of global communications, while providing valuable support for local companies and researchers that will ultimately lead to exports and commercialisation.”

Optical satellite communication technology has the potential to significantly increase data transmission rates, enabling a substantial increase in data return directly to Earth. However, a current challenge with the effectiveness of getting data through lasers from space to the ground is atmospheric interference — the same effect that causes stars to twinkle. This degrades the ability to transmit data.

The new project will use stargazing techniques that ‘de-twinkle’ stars at ground-based observatories to ensure that laser communication terminals can achieve maximum bandwidth. The project will also see the development of a highly sensitive, high-bandwidth optical data receiver, designed for photon-starved environments. This technology will support quantum key distribution (QKD) and other high-performance communication protocols.

“Australian National University’s extensive experience in building complex optical instruments is currently being applied in the construction of an optical ground station (OGS) at the Mount Stromlo Observatory in Canberra, demonstrating Australia’s capability to lead in this field,” said Associate Professor Francis Bennet, from the ANU Research School of Astronomy and Astrophysics.

“Leveraging the university’s expertise in adaptive optics, optical communications and instrumentation, the project will design and scale adaptive optics (AO) systems for commercial and military satellite operators with significant market potential.”

ANU will also site-test Optus’s Belrose Space Operations Centre to inform potential future laser optical ground station options. Additionally, the project will support two PhD positions at ANU, providing researchers with hands-on experience in advanced optical communication technologies and contributing to the development of Australia’s space capabilities.

For its part in the project, Leonardo UK is contributing compact optical detectors capable of acquisition, tracking and communication in photon-starved conditions. These detectors will be integrated with the AO systems to create advanced optical data receivers for space platforms. Optus will demonstrate both the AO and detector systems using current and future satellite infrastructure, enabling new commercial pathways in optical communications.

“Leonardo UK is developing detectors suitable for optical communications including a compact detector, the SAPHIRA, which will combine the function of initial acquisition and tracking as well as communications receiver in the photon-starved regime,” said Matthew Hicks, Space Programme Manager at Leonardo. “This project will accelerate the development of these detectors, by integrating and packaging them with compatible optics into an advanced optical data receiver instrument to demonstrate optical communications from a space platform.”

Nick Leake, Head of Satellite and Space Systems at Optus, added, “Australia is full of innovation, particularly in the space industry, and it’s critical that established players like Optus continue to collaborate with other local companies and universities to push the boundaries beyond where they currently sit. Australia’s large land mass makes it an ideal place for much activity in the space ecosystem, particularly hosting satellite ground stations. As more technology moves beyond our atmosphere, research like this will become key in how industry keeps up with innovation.”

Ultimately, the project aims to develop a space-to-Earth laser communication ground station capable of data transmission rates vastly exceeding the current capabilities of radio-based satellite systems, with the potential to reach terabits per second. The technology could thus provide Australians with more options for connectivity, with laser communications also offering inherent advantages such as high security, immunity to jamming, and the ability to serve remote and rural areas with high-speed internet.

With smaller ground stations that can be spaced closer together, laser communications have the potential to transform Australia’s connectivity landscape, with implications for industries such as defence, telecommunications and beyond. By collaborating with leading global and national partners, iLAuNCH and ANU are poised to position Australia at the forefront of optical satellite communications innovation.

Image caption: ANU’s Francis Bennet and Kate Ferguson.