Prelims: Current events of national and international importance | Science & Technology
Why in News?
Bengaluru-based deep-tech startup Astrogate Labs unveiled India’s first indigenous Optical Inter-Satellite Link (OISL) terminal at the Bengaluru Space Expo.
Optical Inter-Satellite Link (OISL)
- OISL uses Free Space Optical Communication (FSOC) via high-precision laser beams.
- It is to allow satellites within a constellation to communicate directly with one another without routing data back to ground stations first.
- It replaces conventional Radio Frequency (RF) links, overcoming bandwidth limits and spectrum congestion while enabling secure, high-speed, low-latency connectivity.
- Allows data to hop across orbital networks instantly, mirroring architectures like SpaceX’s Starlink optical mesh network.
Key Technical Highlights
- AstroLink Micro- Astrogate demonstrated AstroLink Micro, a 10 Gbps space-to-ground laser communication terminal.
- Core Subsystems- The OISL terminal leverages indigenous building blocks:
- PAT System- High-precision Pointing, Acquisition, and Tracking systems.
- Optical Modems & Gimbals - Stabilized coarse-tracking gimbals for maintaining laser locks between moving satellites.
- Proven Technology Readiness- Astrogate’s underlying space-to-ground laser terminals have already reached Technology Readiness Level 8 (TRL 8).
- ISRO Validation - Astrogate previously supplied satellite-to-ground lasercomm hardware to ISRO.
- It also completed cross-compatibility testing with the University of Western Australia’s TeraNet mobile optical ground station.
Significance
- Sovereign Capability- Establishes end-to-end indigenous ownership of optical communication layers for future Low Earth Orbit (LEO) constellations.
- Primary Target Markets
- Satellite Backhaul - High-throughput data transfer for commercial satellite constellations.
- Sovereign Defence Constellations- Secure, jam-resistant tactical communications in space.
- Orbital Compute- Supporting edge computing architectures directly in orbit.
Reference
PTI News | First Indigenous Optical Inter-Satellite Link in Orbit
