Two SpaceX satellites with Tesat terminals have successfully exchanged data, marking a major milestone for the US Space Development Agency (SDA), according to the agency’s director, Derek Tournear.
The satellites are part of SDA’s Tranche 0 low-Earth orbit experimental spacecraft. They used laser terminals manufactured by Tesat-Spacecom to communicate. This is the first time the agency has demonstrated laser communications in space using the military-grade optical terminals required for SDA satellites, according to Space News.
“We had not previously demonstrated laser communications,” Tournear said at a DefenseNews conference. The data exchange occurred on September 3. Tournear said the satellites established a link in less than 100 seconds and maintained it for several hours. The test involved two of SpaceX’s four satellites equipped with Leidos infrared sensors and Tesat terminals.
The demonstration showcased the ability of SDA satellites to form an optical network in low Earth orbit. A previous test in 2021, conducted jointly with the Air Force Research Laboratory and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, used different optical terminals that do not meet the current standard required by SDA. That fact makes the recent SpaceX test even more significant.
Turner also noted that all four SpaceX satellites have successfully detected rocket launches with their infrared sensors. This included the re-entry of the SpaceX Starship in June.
The laser communications test is a major step in SDA’s Proliferated Warfighter Space Architecture (PWSA) program. The goal of PWSA is to create a network of hundreds of small satellites to improve military communications and surveillance capabilities.
The Tranche 0 deployment included satellites from SpaceX, Lockheed Martin, York Space, and L3Harris.
