Space-to-Ground Laser Link Tests Set for 2007

摘要

A high-resolution radar observation satellite carrying a laser communications terminal has been booked for an October launch on a Russian-Ukrainian Dnepr rocket. Space-to-ground tests of the highspeed laser link are set to start early next year, according to the system prime contractor Tesat-Spacecom GmbH & Co. KG. Tesat is scheduled to deliver its 25-kilogram laser communications hardware to EADS Astrium in June for integration into the TerraSAR-X satellite, a public-private partnership in which EADS' Infoterra subsidiary and the German government share use of the 1-meter resolution imagery.