Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), has been chosen by the Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency, to develop a high-yield laser communication demonstrator as part of the France 2030 program.
The project, named ‘Service Optique de Liaisons Spatiales Sécurisées’ (SOLiS), aims to demonstrate the feasibility of an optical communication service based on geostationary satellites to strengthen intercontinental networks threatened by acts of sabotage.
Satellites offer ultra-secure and fast data transfer, up to a terabit per second, despite atmospheric disturbances.
SOLiS is based on the technologies of the CO-OP project and the results of the VERTIGO project, with government support and a group of companies.
Thales Alenia Space will lead the SOLiS project consortium, which involves several companies in the space industry together with a research center, with the aim of developing a payload for optical communications and a ground-based pilot station to demonstrate high-speed laser communications.
The payload will be integrated into the Hellas Sat 5 geostationary communication satellite, in collaboration with the Hellas Sat operator, while the pilot ground station will be installed at the Cyprus teleport.
This project aims to position French space communication manufacturers at the top by 2030, addressing challenges such as security, resilience, data transmission speed, and multi-orbital interoperability.
Source Thales Alenia Space
Image credit @Thales Alenia Space/E.Briot
