Europe Tests Laser Links As Satellite Comms Outgrow Radio (theregister.com)
(Tuesday May 19, 2026 @03:00AM (BeauHD)
from the pew-pew dept.)
- Reference: 0183275939
- News link: https://tech.slashdot.org/story/26/05/19/0035259/europe-tests-laser-links-as-satellite-comms-outgrow-radio
- Source link: https://www.theregister.com/networks/2026/05/18/europe-tests-laser-links-as-satellite-comms-outgrow-radio/5242012
Europe is [1]testing laser-based satellite communications through a new mountaintop ground station in Greece, aiming to deliver faster, more secure links than traditional radio systems as bandwidth demand grows. The Register reports:
> Lithuanian space and defense biz Astrolight says that it has commissioned a new optical ground station in Greece that will support ESA-backed CubeSat missions testing laser-based communications between satellites and Earth. The Holomondas Optical Ground Station was built through the PeakSat project, led by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with backing from the European Space Agency and Greece's Ministry of Digital Governance. Its job is to receive data from satellites via infrared laser links rather than the radio systems that space operators have relied on for decades.
>
> PeakSat and ERMIS-3, two Greek CubeSats launched in March under ESA's wider Greek IOD/IOV mission program, both carry Astrolight's ATLAS-1 optical communication terminal. Astrolight also built the ground segment, giving the project a fully integrated end-to-end optical communications setup. [...] The company says the station uses an 808-nanometer laser beacon and an optical C-band receiver capable of receiving data at up to 2.5 Gbps. Unlike traditional RF systems, optical links use tightly focused infrared beams that are harder to intercept or jam while also supporting significantly higher throughput.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/networks/2026/05/18/europe-tests-laser-links-as-satellite-comms-outgrow-radio/5242012
> Lithuanian space and defense biz Astrolight says that it has commissioned a new optical ground station in Greece that will support ESA-backed CubeSat missions testing laser-based communications between satellites and Earth. The Holomondas Optical Ground Station was built through the PeakSat project, led by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with backing from the European Space Agency and Greece's Ministry of Digital Governance. Its job is to receive data from satellites via infrared laser links rather than the radio systems that space operators have relied on for decades.
>
> PeakSat and ERMIS-3, two Greek CubeSats launched in March under ESA's wider Greek IOD/IOV mission program, both carry Astrolight's ATLAS-1 optical communication terminal. Astrolight also built the ground segment, giving the project a fully integrated end-to-end optical communications setup. [...] The company says the station uses an 808-nanometer laser beacon and an optical C-band receiver capable of receiving data at up to 2.5 Gbps. Unlike traditional RF systems, optical links use tightly focused infrared beams that are harder to intercept or jam while also supporting significantly higher throughput.
[1] https://www.theregister.com/networks/2026/05/18/europe-tests-laser-links-as-satellite-comms-outgrow-radio/5242012
Only 2.5Gbps? (Score:2)
by bradley13 ( 1118935 )
This seems slow. Current radio technology exceeds that by 1 to 2 orders of magnitude. Plus, lasers tend to have problems with cloud cover.
What am I missing?
Re:Only 2.5Gbps? (Score:4, Informative)
by test321 ( 8891681 )
The summary says "harder to intercept or jam", and the company seems to be involved in the defence market.
It also says "supporting significantly higher throughput", so maybe the limitation to Gbps is only because it's a first test.
Re: (Score:2)
by Sique ( 173459 )
You don't get speeds up to 2.5 Gps easily over several hundred miles without relay stations.
To intercept a laser signal, you have to be right in the beam. The same applies for jamming. Cloud cover is a problem for visible light, but not for infrared light.
Networking (Score:2)
We are growing into a two-speed network. Lightspeed backhaul, WiFi local. Seems like normal evolution/advancement into suoer-cool future tech.