'Translators' Developed to Link Optical Satellite Terminals.

• Author: Luckenbaugh, Josh

ARLINGTON, Virginia -- A Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's program developing optical communications terminals that can link non-standardized systems has entered its next phase, according to one of the companies helping to build a model for the terminal technology. Many government and commercial satellites that will be launched over the next decade will feature optical communication links, which use laser beams to transmit data. While they must transmit in a straight line, they are also hard to intercept and jam and have a higher throughput than traditional radio-frequency communication systems.

However, the new generation of optical systems lack standards, so many of these satellites and constellations cannot communicate with one another. The aim of DARPA's Space-Based Adaptive Communications Node program, or Space-BACN, is to "create a low-cost, reconfigurable optical communications terminal that adapts to most optical intersatellite link standards" and can translate between them, according to a DARPA statement. A common terminal that can be reconfigured easily would allow for fast communications between a greater range of constellations.

Laser communications company Mynaric has been chosen as a "key development partner"--along with 10 other teams--to create the benchtop model of the terminal as part of Phase 1 of the program.

"The No. 1 goal really is to make an interoperable terminal that's reconfigurable on orbit, so it can act almost like a translator set," since satellites are not going to be tied to a single standard, said Tim Deaver, Mynaric's vice president of strategic solutions.

To achieve the needed level of flexibility at minimal cost, DARPA has given developers a set of three requirements, nicknamed "100 Cubed," for the terminal, said Tina Ghataore, chief commercial officer at Mynaric. The conditions require the terminal to support optical waveforms up to 100 gigabits per...