- Greenland’s Arctic location makes it a key hub for low Earth orbit satellite tv for pc communications
- Laser comms supply sooner information switch and stronger resistance to jamming than radio
- Astrolight is constructing optical floor stations to help civil, industrial, and navy networks
Greenland has been within the headlines loads not too long ago, after President Donald Trump renewed requires america to take management of the territory – however past politics, the Arctic area can also be garnering consideration for a really totally different motive – its rising significance to area and protection communications.
This strategic worth is intently tied to satellites, lasers, and geography, and in response to European laser communications startup Astrolight, Greenland’s location close to the North Pole makes it unusually useful for contemporary satellite tv for pc networks.
Chatting with AZoOptics, Laurynas Maciulis, co founder and CEO of Astrolight, stated Greenland performs a key function in how Low Earth Orbit satellites (LEO) transfer across the planet.
Navy use
“Greenland is strategically useful for LEO cross geometry as a result of its proximity to the North Pole permits frequent satellite tv for pc passes for polar orbiting satellites that present international protection,” he defined, including that its place close to the magnetic pole additionally makes it helpful for monitoring area climate.
Astrolight focuses on laser primarily based communications, which use tightly targeted beams of sunshine as a substitute of conventional radio alerts. This gives a number of sensible benefits over radio frequency programs.
“Laser communication solves many sensible issues that include the usage of radio frequency,” Maciulis stated. “It sidesteps the crowded radio frequency spectrum,” whereas additionally permitting a lot larger information charges and providing sturdy resistance to jamming and spoofing.
The corporate has already moved past testing. Maciulis stated Astrolight not too long ago signed a contract with the European Area Company to construct the primary optical floor station (OGS) in Greenland, geared toward rushing up the return of satellite tv for pc information for makes use of similar to catastrophe response and geointelligence.
Laser communications are additionally attracting consideration in navy settings, the place radio transmissions can expose the placement of troops.
In a separate report by BFBS Forces Information, Peter Stensgård-Hansen of Astrolight described his personal expertise utilizing radios throughout navy service.
“I died so many instances throughout my 9 months of service as a result of the second I pushed that radio down it is a massive ‘hey, right here is battalion command’. I used to be bombarded to items.”
Laser hyperlinks are far tougher to detect or disrupt. “That is simply free area, a really slim beam that solely transmits from a really slim path from the transmitter to the receiver,” Stensgård-Hansen stated.
Nato has been testing laser primarily based programs throughout current workout routines as a part of efforts to enhance communications resilience.
“The concept of creating a place in Greenland got here from our expertise with Nato… we have to unfold out our international area infrastructure,” Stensgård-Hansen stated.
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