Exail Tech to Feature in SOLiS Laser Communications Project
Exail will deliver advanced micro-optical modules and fiber-based amplification systems to Thales Alenia Space for integration into SOLiS, a very-high throughput space laser communications demonstrator selected by CNES, the French space agency. The demonstrator is part of the space component of the French government's France 2030 program.
Geostationary satellites offer an effective and cost-effective solution for ultra-secure transfers of large amounts of data between two users on Earth, delivering very high data rates of up to one terabit per second despite distances and atmospheric disturbances. SOLiS aims to demonstrate the technical and economic viability of an optical communications service relying on geostationary satellites and ground stations. This service aims to strengthen intercontinental network resilience at a time of increasing sabotage against land and subsea optical fiber links. SOLis is developed by a consortium led by Thales Alenia Space on behalf of CNES.
As part of the program, Exail will supply flying models of free-space micro-optical multiplexer and demultiplexer modules for both the satellite payload and the ground station, as well as a complete low-noise optical amplifier module and several single-channel optical amplifiers — built on Exail’s radiation-hardened doped fibers — for the reception channel of the SOLiS payload. These technologies will enable the SOLiS demonstrator to achieve terabits-per-second data rates while maintaining compactness, robustness, and thermal stability suited to demanding space environments.
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