Seven missions have been launched to test improved data transmission from space

The transmission of information between Earth and space relies on radio waves, a scarce resource with limited data transmission capacity. With the increasing number of satellites and the increasing integration of space technology into everyday activities, the amount of data being exchanged is increasing. These challenges are causing organizations to look for new ways to make information move quickly and efficiently across large areas.

The mission that began aboard Space X’s Transporter-16 on March 30 aims to find a solution to this problem. More specifically, other CubeSats will demonstrate various laser communication features, a secure and high-speed way to connect spacecraft to ground stations. From testing new optical stations on Earth to inter-satellite links, CubeSats aim to demonstrate simple and cost-effective complementary technologies to radio waves.

In addition, other CubeSats and payloads carried by a CubeSat receiver will test improved data transfer methods, including communication between satellites in the same and opposite orbits. They will also demonstrate improved data processing in-orbit, which helps reduce the risk of sending inaccurate or unnecessary data.

Greek Connection Program

The five CubeSats onboard Transporter-16 were launched as part of ESA’s Greek Connectivity program – implemented by ESA on behalf of the Greek Government’s Ministry of Digital Governance. This announcement represents a particularly concrete step to advance Greece’s space-based capabilities. Optical communication through laser links is a promising technology that can complement radio waves.

Most of the CubeSats in the Falcon 9 rocket, launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California, will verify optical stations from different companies and optical ground stations, to provide a better definition of special capabilities and support European competition.

A CubeSat-sized cereal box called OptiSat is being used by the Greek company Planetek Hellas. It will include German telecommunications manufacturer SCOT20’s secure space communications hub for sending and receiving secure, high-speed laser communications from other small satellites in low Earth orbit.

PeakSat is a bread-sized satellite dish developed entirely by the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. Including the ATLAS-1 terminal of the Lithuanian company Astrolight, it will test the laser communication between the space and the upgraded Greek optical ground stations.

The satellites of the ERMIS mission are three CubeSats built by the ERMIS consortium, led by the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens. ERMIS-1 and ERMIS-2 – both 6U (each U is 10cm³) – will use a set of two antennas as payloads: one antenna will test 5G connectivity for Internet-of-Things devices used via satellite, and the other will test intersatellite links over radio waves.

Separately, the 8U ERMIS-3 also has an Astrolight ATLAS-1 terminal. Flying alongside the ERMIS-1 and ERMIS-2 CubeSats, the mission will focus on achieving the precise pointing, acquisition and tracking data required to establish a laser link with the ground station.

ERMIS-3 will carry a camera to display the rapid transmission of hyperspectral images from space through a laser link, which helps in precision farming.

The Hellenic Space Dawn project falls under the same theme and will be launched later, on board the T-16.5 in May. It includes two oven-sized satellites managed by the Greek group of companies EMTech Space. The two CubeSats will ensure laser links strong enough to resist interference and will provide improvements compared to conventional radio frequency systems.

Similar to ERMIS-3, it will carry a high-resolution camera to take advantage of optical links for experimental applications that need to send data with minimal delay, such as tree mapping and land use monitoring.

A Pioneering Partnership Project

ESA’s Pioneer Partnership Projects aims to create new space mission providers by helping companies create the necessary infrastructure and make space accessible, faster. Three CubeSats developed under Pioneer flew aboard Transporter-16.

Mission SaaS, which consists of a 6U CubeSat and is led by satellite manufacturer and operator Spire Global, is focused on demonstrating the use of optical links between satellites. Since satellites travel at high speeds, the opportunity to download information from Earth is short. By improving the efficiency of data transmission between satellites, information can be transmitted and copied exactly where it is needed.

Spire Global collects real-time weather data to support weather forecasting. It also collects aircraft and ship tracking information, enabling better navigation, reduced costs and carbon footprint.

Mission VIREON™, from the UK’s AAC Clyde Space, has launched two 16U CubeSats that will address the massive storage requirement. medium-resolution Earth Sensing data to support increased productivity and reduced environmental impact in land management and agriculture.

These satellites can rapidly provide high-quality images from space, helping to monitor crops, forests and water resources with daily updates. Their ability to cover large areas and send information almost in real time makes them essential for monitoring environmental changes and supporting better agricultural practices. They will be followed by two more 16U CubeSats on Transporter-18.

The satellites were developed in partnership with ESA and the UK Space Agency within the Pioneer program as part of ESA’s Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES) programme.

EDGX

Belgian company EDGX has announced its smart and efficient digital data processing unit, which combines powerful GPU-based computing with advanced AI capabilities. This device, small enough to fit in a person’s hand, helps satellites to be able to handle data efficiently while reducing energy consumption, which is an important constraint for space systems.

During the Transporter-16 mission, EDGX will be deploying AI in its stages. For example, it will check how much power they use during the operation of many different computer loads. The tax is designed to be flexible and reconfigurable, so it can change and work seamlessly with other space systems as needed.

This tool was designed and developed with support from ESA’s Industrial Competition programme, within the Institute for Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES).