General Atomics, Tesat-Spacecom To Jointly Develop Space-based Laser Communication Terminals

General Atomics and Tesat-Spacecom GmbH& Co. KG, Germany signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Tuesday to jointly develop a certified Space-based Laser Communication Terminals (SB-LCT) to support US defense and intelligence applications.

The companies will focus on developing solutions that enable secure, reliable on-orbit laser communications to meet specific government mission requirements.

“Free Space Optical communications, more commonly called Lasercomm, are quickly evolving as a more affordable way to increase communication capabilities without the traditional limitations of RF [radio frequency] systems,” stated Scott Forney, president of GA-EMS.