1/17/2024 0 Comments Integrity Plus downloadIn early November, we established the first successful optical links between our two prototype satellites, allowing us to send and receive data at speeds of up to 100 Gbps for entire test windows of an hour or more. Project Kuiper tested OISL technology extensively in the lab before testing in space.Īlthough this system performed well during extensive testing in a lab environment, our Protoflight mission provided an opportunity to test the end-to-end architecture in space. Project Kuiper designed a state-of-the-art optics and control system capable of addressing these challenges. To establish and maintain laser links, you need to minimize the spread of light to ensure a strong signal you need to establish contact across distances of up to 1,616 miles (2,600 km) you need to maintain that connection between spacecraft moving at speeds of up to 15,534 miles per hour (25,000 km per hour) and you need to accomplish all of that while compensating for satellite and flight dynamics. OISLs represent a long-standing challenge for low Earth orbit (LEO) satellite broadband connectivity. And because Project Kuiper leverages AWS service and infrastructure to route data traffic, we can reduce latency even further across our network.Īdvancing the state of the art in OISL technology Light travels faster in space than it does through glass, which means that Kuiper’s orbital laser mesh network can move data approximately 30% faster than if it traveled the equivalent distance via terrestrial fiber optic cables. These capabilities increase throughput and reduce latency across our constellation, and provide more flexibility to connect Kuiper customers across land, sea, air, and space.Īnother benefit of OISLs is the speed at which you can move data around the world. We are equipping every Project Kuiper satellite with multiple optical terminals to connect many satellites at a time, establishing high-speed laser cross-links that form a secure, resilient mesh network in space. Instead of being limited to sending data between an individual satellite and antennas on the ground, OISLs allow satellites to send data directly to other satellites in a constellation. OISLs use infrared lasers to send data between spacecraft as they orbit the planet. Operating a next-generation orbital laser mesh network We’re excited to be able to support these next-generation OISL capabilities on every Kuiper satellite from day one.” These immediate results are only possible because we approached our OISL architecture as one part of a fully integrated system design, and it’s a testament to this team’s willingness to invent on behalf of customers. “This system is designed fully in-house to optimize for speed, cost, and reliability, and the entire architecture has worked flawlessly from the very start. “With optical inter-satellite links across our satellite constellation, Project Kuiper will effectively operate as a mesh network in space,” said Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper's vice president of technology.
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