Singapore is taking a step towards revolutionising space communications technology with the prototyping of Transcelestial’s laser communication terminals to enable high-speed low-latency inter-satellite communications link. The initiative is supported by Singapore’s Office for Space Technology and Industry (OSTIn).
Intersatellite laser communications address certain data exchange limitations between satellites through traditional radio frequency means. Laser communication terminals enable faster, interference-free data transfer and significantly improve scalability and bandwidth, unlocking possibilities across telecommunications, and beyond.
With this project, Singapore is poised to lead the wave of data-hungry, proliferated constellations and lead in next-generation space communications. With OSTIn’s support, Transcelestial is partnering ST Engineering Satellite Systems to integrate and demonstrate Transcelestial’s in-space inter-satellite laser link capabilities with ST Engineering’s satellite bus products.
As the main contractor for this project, ST Engineering Satellite Systems will take the lead in satellite design and manufacturing, while Transcelestial’s laser terminals will form the core of this project. The project is scheduled to be tested in orbit by 2026. It aims to demonstrate data exchange via the laser communication inter-satellite terminals demonstrating various use cases and configurations in low Earth orbit between the satellites.
“Establishing a scalable high bandwidth space network, which extends Terabits of capabilities not only worldwide instantly but also to humanity’s march into deep space has been the core mission for the team from day one,” said Transcelestial CEO Rohit Jha. “After years of testing behind the scenes, this is the first of many steps which takes us to that vision.”
“Singapore is home to Transcelestial and an important partner to nations worldwide,” he added. “It has been a data and comms hub for the region for decades. and now that role is expected to expand beyond the region.”
“Transcelestial’s efforts to advance inter-satellite laser communications will strengthen Singapore’s growing space ecosystem and push boundaries for in-space connectivity,” said OSTIn Executive Director Jonathan Hung. “With Transcelestial’s expertise in advanced components and ST Engineering’s capabilities in satellite systems, this partnership will boost Singapore’s position as a connectivity hub across aviation, maritime and infocomm sectors.”
“We continue to welcome like-minded companies like Transcelestial to tap on the deep pools of talent and developed infrastructure available in Singapore to advance space communication technologies,” he said.
Transcelestial says it sees a future where Singapore continues to push the boundaries of space technology and innovation. In the near term, Transcelestial is opening up to provide a full range of laser communication services to space and telecom customers – space to ground terminals, space to space terminals, worldwide optical ground station network, and various cloud and data centre capabilities to store, compute and analyse data and decisions directly in space or at low-latency worldwide secure cloud points.
