back to article Sony launches a space laser subsidiary (for comms, not conflict)

Sony on Friday launched a subsidiary dedicated to optical communications – in space. The new company, Sony Space Communications Corporation (SSCC) plans to develop small optical communication devices that connect satellites in low Earth orbit using a laser beam, and provide the resulting connection as a service. These small …

  1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    So Sony wants to fire lasers at satellites

    I've got the feeling that the airline industry might want to have a word with that.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: So Sony wants to fire lasers at satellites

      As long as they do it from a volcano lair

    2. Martin Gregorie

      Re: So Sony wants to fire lasers at satellites

      Upvoted, because there are obvious hazards if the use of laser-equipped satellites becomes a free-for-all.

      However, it seems likely that limits on frequency bands, transmission power and, probably, minimum elevation above the horizon (to protect pilot's eyes) would become part of Standard Operating Procedures.

      I can see both advantages and disadvantages in laser-based space comms. The most obvious disadvantage vs radio is the requirement to aim a transmission very accurately at its target to communicate at all, just as the most obvious advantage is the ability of tightly beamed transmissions to reuse any frequency without causing either accidental or deliberate interference. However, this would probably require the receiver to use a suitably directional antenna, i.e. a small telescope, and this in turn would require both ends to use rather precise pointing mechanisms to establish and use a link.

      Given all the above, I can see its advantages over interplanetary distances, but wonder what,if any, advantages it would have over radio for LEO communications, other than bandwidth.

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        Re: So Sony wants to fire lasers at satellites

        If this is satellite-satellite then eye safety shouldn't t be an issue. They are at least 300km above any pilot and are quite precisely pointed at the destination satellite.

        You would need quite a chunky laser to have a Beam Hazard Distance of a satellite on the horizon 300km up. Pointing isn't a big issue, you know where the other satellite is from stored orbital data and a bit of spherical trig.

        Advantage apart from bandwidth is as you say, spectrum availability. Even with narrow radio beams you are going to have some overspil and with 1000s of targets all talking at each other you are going to need quite a lot of radio channels.

  2. KBeee

    Sharks in Spaaaace!

    I take it that Sony has also invented space suits for the sharks that will deploy this technology?

  3. Chris Roberts

    There is prior art

    The Artemis satellite has an ESA laser communication experiment on board and was launched in 2001, it is called SILEX, I did some work on it back in the 90's.

  4. Kevin McMurtrie Silver badge
    Black Helicopters

    It's not a weapon

    It is a very robust communications laser. Objects, moons, or planets in it's path would only cause brief interruptions. Messages will be delivered.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: It's not a weapon

      It certainly sent a message to the rest of the rebel alliance - at least the ones not on Alderan at the time.

  5. IJD

    SpaceX are already using lasers for wideband inter-satellite comms links. Laser links from satellites to ground have an obvious and fundamental problem -- there aren't any clouds between satellites but there are above the ground...

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