Northrop Grumman, in partnership with the International Centre for Radio Astronomy Research (ICRAR) at the University of Western Australia, has conducted a successful demonstration of a bi-directional space-to-ground laser communication (lasercom) link in Western Australia.
“This demonstration is a powerful example of how Australian technology providers and Northop Grumman are working together to accelerate next-generation optical communications. This demonstration is partnership at its best, focused, practical and delivering results that matter,” Northrop Grumman Australia, Country Executive, Rob Denney, said.
TeraNet-2, located at a tracking facility in WA, is operated by the University of Western Australia (UWA) under the leadership of Sascha Schediwy.
“This testing demonstrates Northrop Grumman is at the leading edge of laser communications for defence and commercial space missions. Our partnership with UWA and industry leaders exemplifies the collaborative ecosystem that drives breakthrough capabilities for our customers,” Growth & Business Development Director for the Intelligence & Sensing business unit, Will Whalen, and Deputy Kyle Zeisig, said.
During the demonstration, Northrop Grumman Program Manager Jonathan Baggett and Technical Lead Sid Ghosh worked on site with UWA, overseeing integration of NG hardware, alignment and real-time troubleshooting to ensure mission success.
“Being on the ground allowed us to fine-tune every aspect of the link in real time,” explained. “The team’s dedication and collaboration were pivotal to achieving this milestone,” Baggett said.
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 bidirectional data transfer.
“The SDA waveform adapts dynamically to atmospheric conditions, unlocking reliable gigabit-per-second downlinks. This success paves the way for next-generation sensor data streaming, secure communications and rapid decision making in contested environments,” Ghosh said.
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, according to Northrop Grumman, 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; and 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.
“HartSCI’s world-leading adaptive optics technology enables the high bandwidth critical to the build-out of space-based laser communications systems. We are excited to support the Northrop Grumman team in achieving this major milestone.” President of HartSCI, Michael Hart, said.