Speaking of laser communication, here are some presentation slides on China's plan for a space laser communication system. Instead of a detailed translation, let me just give a brief summary:
- The on-orbit verification of China's space laser communication technology began in 2011. The Ocean-2A satellite launched that year conducted the first low-orbit satellite-to-ground laser communication test, with a downlink rate of 504Mbps.
- From 2011 to 2021, many satellite-to-ground laser communication experiments have been carried out. The
satellite, Tiangong-2 experimental space station, Shijian-13, and Shijian-20 have all participated. The highest downlink speed of
both high and low orbits has reached more than 5Gbps. Notably, the SJ-20 satellite has achieved a downlink speed of 10Gbps at 45000km.
- China plans to launch the "Xingguang-1"
commercial constellation composed of four satellites to verify the 5Gpbs inter-satellite laser communication system and high-speed optical switching technology.
- Three-step plan to a global integrated satellite-to-satellite and satellite-to-ground laser communication network: 1) from 2018-2022, basic technology development and verification; 2) from 2023-2027, build out the system at a smaller scale and achieve effective utilization; 3) from 2028-2030, full-scale construction and rollout.
