The TeraNet 2 optical ground station in Western Australia. Credit: ICRAR.
The International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) at the University of Western Australia, in partnership with Northrop Grumman Corporation, has conducted a successful demonstration of a bi-directional space‑to‑ground laser communication (lasercom) link in Western Australia, marking a significant milestone in laser communications.
Using the TeraNet‑2 optical ground terminal built by the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR), the testing validated a suite of advanced optical communications technologies demonstrating satellite tracking and bi-directional data transfer.
TeraNet‑2, located at a tracking facility in WA, is operated by the University of Western Australia (UWA) under the leadership of Prof. Sascha Schediwy. During the demonstration, Northrop Grumman Program Manager Jonathan Baggett and Technical Lead Dr. Sid Ghosh worked on site with UWA, overseeing integration of hardware, alignment and real‑time troubleshooting to ensure mission success.
Free space laser communications use tightly focused optical beams instead of traditional radio frequencies to move data between space and the ground. For satellite operators and mission owners, that enables:
- Much higher data rates to move massive volumes of sensor data, imagery and situational awareness products
- Reduced spectrum congestion, since optical links do not rely on scarce RF spectrum
- Inherently narrow, harder‑to‑intercept beams, improving resilience and security for sensitive missions
- Smaller, lighter terminals on orbit and on the ground compared with some legacy RF systems
These attributes are increasingly important as government and commercial operators field proliferated constellations and data‑intensive payloads.
The demonstration validated a suite of advanced optical communications technologies, including:
- Operational use of the TeraNet‑2 optical ground terminal for space‑to‑ground optical communications research and development using Northrop Grumman‑supplied modem and amplifiers
- The HartSCI ClearStar adaptive optics system and pointing‑acquisition‑tracking (PAT) capability integrated with the PlaneWave RC700 telescope, helping maintain a stable, precise lock on a rapidly moving low earth orbit satellite
- A custom modem built by Smart Logic, Inc to the U.S. Space Development Agency (SDA) Tranche 1 waveform standard, supporting interoperable optical links across future constellations. Smart Logic’s modem provides the high-speed digital processing needed to transmit and receive data over the optical link and serves as the standards-based interface between the ground terminal and compatible space terminals.
