10-watt laser sends 1 Gbps from plane to satellite in world-first test

General Atomics (GA-EMS) and Kepler Communications have achieved the world’s first high-speed laser communication link between an aircraft and a satellite, transmitting data at rates up to 1 gigabit per second over a distance of nearly 3,400 miles. The test involved a 10-watt Optical Communication Terminal (OCT) mounted on a De Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter plane communicating with a Kepler satellite in low Earth orbit, compatible with the U.S. Space Development Agency’s (SDA) Tranche 0 architecture. This milestone validates a critical component of the Pentagon’s proliferated space network, demonstrating secure, high-throughput data transfer capabilities between airborne platforms and orbiting satellites. The system’s success highlights the challenges and advancements in free-space optical communications, which require precise pointing, acquisition, tracking, and lock mechanisms to maintain stable links from moving platforms to satellites. General Atomics’ OCT, housed in a Laser Airborne Communication Turret (