China’s first commercial aerospace laser communication experiment successfully completed

China’s first commercial aerospace laser communication experiment was a complete success. The experiment is based on the Beihang Satellite No. 1 developed by the Tianyi Research Institute. The satellite is equipped with an ultra-small laser communication terminal SG10-1 independently developed by Nanjing Yingtian Optics. The satellite was successfully launched into orbit on November 6, 2020, and laser world docking was achieved for the first time on December 3.

According to the official statement, as of April 2021, with the high attitude control accuracy (0.01°), high attitude stability (0.0015°/s) and long-term stable operation capability of Beihangxing Satellite 1, Tianyi Research Institute has successfully assisted Yingtian Optics in the development of More than 50 satellite-to-ground laser data transmission experiments under various climatic conditions have been achieved, and the 10~100Mbps laser communication data download to the Nanjing Chaoyangyang Science Ground Station has been successfully completed.

Moreover, the comprehensive evaluation of beam tracking performance and the influence of atmospheric turbulence on communication have been successfully completed. Analysis, satellite remote sensing image business data downloading, and many other key technology in-orbit verification missions.

The satellite laser communication system has the advantages of small terminal size, lightweight, and low power consumption, which is the main development direction of space communication links. The SG10-1 ultra-small laser communication terminal is the first laser communication payload developed by Yingtian Optics for space-based narrowband IoT applications. It is also the smallest (0.7U), lightest (0.75Kg), and lowest power consumption (7W) in the history of China. And the laser communication terminal was successfully verified by the sky.

Besides, Beihang Satellite 1 uses a new generation of 20 kg satellite platform independently developed by the Tianyi Research Institute, with excellent attitude control indicators, low platform load ratio, large-capacity energy storage, intelligent temperature control, Features such as variable heat dissipation achieve the ultimate cost-effectiveness, which can meet various high power consumption and high-precision load requirements, and provide strong support for the load.

The complete success of the Beihang Satellite No. 1 laser satellite-to-ground test marks a leap forward in the development of Tianyi’s high-performance small satellites. In the future, Tianyi Research Institute will continue to assist Yingtian Optics to carry out technical verification tests on data security, remote confidentiality, and data forwarding, and jointly promote the development of integrated world-ground information networks.

|VIA|