Last night, for the first time, a data link between satellites was established using a laser beam as signal carrier. On board ESA's Artemis satellite – launched last July by an Ariane 5 – is the SILEX system.
This system provides an optical data transmission link with the CNES Earth observation satellite SPOT 4, which is orbiting the earth at an altitude of 832 km while Artemis is temporarily in a parking orbit at 31 000 km.
Through the laser data link, images taken by SPOT 4 can be transmitted in real time to the SPOT 4 image processing centre at Spot Image in Toulouse, France, via Artemis, thus drastically reducing the time between taking the picture and its delivery to the control centre.
This is possible whenever the two satellites are in mutual visibility. Without the relay function of Artemis the images are stored on board SPOT 4's memory and dumped over the ground stations.
Last night, for the first time, a data link between satellites was established using a laser beam as signal carrier. On board ESA's Artemis satellite – launched last July by an Ariane 5 – is the SILEX system.
This system provides an optical data transmission link with the CNES Earth observation satellite SPOT 4, which is orbiting the earth at an altitude of 832 km while Artemis is temporarily in a parking orbit at 31 000 km.
Through the laser data link, images taken by SPOT 4 can be transmitted in real time to the SPOT 4 image processing centre at Spot Image in Toulouse, France, via Artemis, thus drastically reducing the time between taking the picture and its delivery to the control centre.
This is possible whenever the two satellites are in mutual visibility. Without the relay function of Artemis the images are stored on board SPOT 4's memory and dumped over the ground stations.
Last night, for the first time, a data link between satellites was established using a laser beam as signal carrier. On board ESA's Artemis satellite – launched last July by an Ariane 5 – is the SILEX system.
This system provides an optical data transmission link with the CNES Earth observation satellite SPOT 4, which is orbiting the earth at an altitude of 832 km while Artemis is temporarily in a parking orbit at 31 000 km.
Through the laser data link, images taken by SPOT 4 can be transmitted in real time to the SPOT 4 image processing centre at Spot Image in Toulouse, France, via Artemis, thus drastically reducing the time between taking the picture and its delivery to the control centre.
This is possible whenever the two satellites are in mutual visibility. Without the relay function of Artemis the images are stored on board SPOT 4's memory and dumped over the ground stations.
