Archangel Lightworks has completed field tests of its deployable optical ground station Terra-M, transferring data between the ground station and a satellite in Low-Earth Orbit (LEO).
Archangel Lightworks, based in Oxford, England, announced the successful tests on Wednesday. The tests took place over multiple passes during a multi-day trial in the Mediterranean region in May. The Terra-M ground station and satellite communicated using the U.S. Space Development Agency laser communication standard.
Terra-M is designed to be smaller than traditional optical ground stations at 1.1 meter tall and less than 1 meter in diameter. The ground station is designed to be deployed quickly and to be transported easily, deployed on the roof of a building, etc.
The company hopes to enable large-scale deployable networks of optical ground stations.
“The Terra-M is uniquely capable of rapid, secure data transfer with satellites while also being small enough to be deployed and redeployed at the point of need,” said Richard Johanson, CEO of Archangel Lightworks. “The demand for space-based information and connectivity solutions continues to grow exponentially, and we are pleased that our technology will play a role in this exciting new global communications infrastructure.”
