
Astrogate is developing cutting-edge optical satellite communication technology
- Astrogate Labs, has developed an optical laser-based satellite communication system.
- This technology utilised to facilitate communication between many satellites that are a member of the same 'constellation.'
- Making a system that is more portable and ideal for the smaller satellite segment is the main purpose.
Astrogate Labs, based in Bengaluru, is developing an optical laser-based satellite communication system that offers a number of benefits over conventional radio frequency transmission. Higher bandwidth connections at lower data rates may be possible using optical transmission, which also does away with the requirement for expensive spectrum licencing fees.
'Today's satellites are capable of producing around 100GB of data per day. You would only transfer 20 to 25% of the data in a day if you used radio frequency transmission to download it. You will receive more than 20 times that bandwidth using our optical transmission technology, said Nitish Singh, cofounder and CEO of Astrogate Labs.
One benefit of laser-based optical transmission technology is a higher data bandwidth. When switching to optical satellite communication, Singh claims that a five-meter wide parabolic radio dish antenna can be replaced with a ground receiver that resembles a telescope and has an aperture between 30 and 40 centimetres.
This technology is already utilised by the European Space Agency's European Data Relay Satellite System (ERDS). In order to send data from and to non-geostationary satellites, spacecraft, other vehicles, and fixed Earth Stations that are unable to permanently broadcast or receive data, ERDS is made up of a number of satellites in geostationary orbits.
A developing technology is satellite laser-based optical communication. Larger satellites are using the technology, which has already been developed. Making a system that is more portable and ideal for the smaller satellite segment is what we're attempting to do, according to Singh.
But unlike radio frequency antennas, which can generate radio beams that are several times as large as the Earth, lasers have very narrow beams. For the laser beams to be directed in the direction of ground-based receivers, the optical transmitter must be mounted on a precise pointing and tracking device.
Astrogate has been constructing the essential technology necessary to make this possible since its founding in 2017. 'We have already created the satellite communication hardware, devised the space-to-ground system, and certified it. We are currently looking into acquiring flight legacy for the technology, Singh continued. Technology testing in a setting that is commercially representative is referred to as flight legacy. By the end of 2024, according to Singh, Astrogate intends to put their technology in space.
An optical communication system would be vulnerable to attenuation (loss in signal power) owing to the atmosphere in addition to the difficulties with pointing and stability, although this is also true for radio waves.
Cloud cover would be disastrous for optical communication, in contrast to radio waves. This is also one of the reasons the business is attempting to construct these ground stations in drier parts of the globe. At the moment, we are working together to position them in Australia, and we are also considering the Middle East, Singh continued. The technology of Astrogate may also be utilised to facilitate communication between many satellites that are a member of the same 'constellation.'
The company is currently expanding its clientele, which consists primarily of institutions seeking to launch Earth observation or test satellites for scientific purposes. Any organisation interested in utilising Astrogate's technology can purchase the optical terminal, include it into their satellite, and then subsequently sign up for a ground communication plan to utilise the company's receivers. The company has already shown how this technology can be used for 'ship-to-ship' communications and is looking for additional uses for it that are not related to satellites or space applications.