16/10/2024
57 views
0 likes
On the Worldwide Astronautical Congress (IAC) in Milan this week, ESA signed a contract for Factor #1, the primary part of the HydRON Demonstration System. HydRON, which stands for Excessive thRoughput Optical Community, is about to rework the best way data-collecting satellites talk, utilizing laser expertise that may enable satellites to attach with one another and floor networks a lot quicker.
ESA has chosen Canadian satellite tv for pc telecommunications supplier Kepler Communications as prime contractor for Factor #1 of HydRON. Factor #1 entails creating a hoop of ten satellites in Low Earth Orbit (LEO), laying the foundational assist for communications between third-party satellites and floor customers. The venture goals to allow seamless integration of an area information relay transport layer for house belongings in several orbits that have to relay their collected information to customers on the bottom. The next two parts of HydRON will deal with including satellites in non-LEO orbits in addition to including to the optical floor phase. As soon as accomplished, HydRON will purpose to supply speedy connections between satellites and terrestrial (floor) information networks.
Optical communication applied sciences have the potential to scale back the bottlenecks created by conventional radio frequency methods that are competing for already crowded radio frequency spectra and are topic to heavy regulation. By enabling speedy, high-capacity connections between satellites and floor networks, HydRON will considerably improve our capability to gather and utilise information from house.
This functionality is especially essential for Earth statement missions, the place giant datasets usually must be downloaded from satellites a couple of instances a day throughout passes over floor stations. With HydRON, these satellites can hook up with the community and transmit information again to Earth far more effectively, with out ready for particular satellite tv for pc passes. This superior system will present substantial advantages for each authorities and industrial customers, supporting a variety of functions from environmental monitoring to catastrophe response.
The HydRON laser beams can even carry much more information than conventional radio waves. The system is designed to attach seamlessly with the fibre optic networks we already use on Earth, creating a quick and dependable world community. This expertise helps superior 5G networks and allows new applied sciences like AI and Web of Issues (IoT). HydRON’s capabilities prolong past bettering information switch from Earth statement satellites. As a part of ESA’s broader imaginative and prescient, this expertise may very well be utilised and tailored to assist future missions to the Moon and past.
The signing ceremony was attended by Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director Common; Laurent Jaffart, ESA Director of Connectivity and Safe Communications; ESA Astronaut Alexander Gerst; Harald Hauschildt, ESA Head of Optical and Quantum Programme – ScyLight; Lisa Campbell, President of the Canadian Area Company; Tuan Huynh, CSA Director Common for Area Science & Know-how and Mina Mitry, CEO and Co-founder of Kepler Communications Inc.
“ESA is happy with the HydRON venture, which exemplifies the facility of European and Canadian collaboration in advancing house expertise. With its laser satellite tv for pc community for lightning-fast internet-like communications, HydRON has the potential to rework how we join globally, bridging digital divides and enabling safe communications on Earth and past,” mentioned Josef Aschbacher, ESA Director Common.
“The signing of the Factor #1 contract marks a major milestone in advancing optical and quantum communications in house,” mentioned Laurent Jaffart, ESA’s Director of Connectivity and Safe Communications. “ESA is proud to be supporting future-facing and revolutionary threat sharing, driving space-based communications and potential future lunar and photo voltaic system missions.”
“For 45 years now, Canada’s collaboration with ESA has resulted in alternatives to take part in European house program initiatives that may in any other case be out of attain. For Canadian corporations, having this distinctive entry to the European house market means commercialization prospects and concrete gross sales, job creation and knowledge-sharing, and worldwide partnerships alternatives. We sit up for persevering with this partnership to strengthen the robust synergies between our industrial, educational and authorities sectors as we advance house science and expertise collectively,” mentioned Lisa Campbell, President of the Canadian Area Company.
“Kepler is proud to guide the HydRON Factor#1 contract, collaborating with TESAT and Airbus to ship a state-of-the-art optical constellation that may allow the event of terabit-per-second information relay in house. This program is aligned with Kepler’s core mission to increase Web-like connectivity velocity to house and can enhance safe entry to space-generated information for all ESA member states,” mentioned Mina Mitry, Chief Government Officer and Co-founder of Kepler.
HydRON falls underneath ESA’s Optical and Quantum Communications – ScyLight strategic programme line, a part of the broader Superior Analysis in Telecommunications Techniques (ARTES) programme.