WASHINGTON – The first Starlink satellites to be launched on a polar orbit are equipped with laser cross-links, a technology the company plans to add to other satellites next year.
SpaceX included Starlink satellites on January 10 on its January 24 Transporter 1 setup for the shares. The satellites are the first in the Starlink constellation to use SpaceX to a polar orbit, after winning the Federal Communications Commission on January 8.
In tweets after the launch, Elon Musk, founder and CEO of SpaceX, said that these satellites are equipped with laser intersatellite links. “It also has laser connections between the satellites, so no ground stations are needed over the poles,” he said. in response to one tweet about the launch.
Intersatellite connections allow satellites to transfer communications from one satellite to another, either in the same orbital plane or an adjacent plane. Such links allow operators to limit the number of ground stations, as a ground station no longer needs to have the same satellite footprint as user terminals, and to extend coverage to remote areas where ground stations are not available. It can also reduce the delay, as the number of hops between satellites and ground stations is reduced.
SpaceX has tested intersatellite links on other Starlink satellites, although they are not widely used. During a webcast of a Starlink launch in September 2020, the company said it tested “space lasers” between two satellites and transmitted hundreds of gigabytes of data. “Once these space lasers are fully operational, Starlink will be one of the fastest options for data transfer worldwide,” the company said at the time.
Musk, in another tweet, said SpaceX will roll out laser intersatellite links on other Starlink satellites next year. ‘All sets to be launched next year have laser links. Only our polar kit has lasers this year and is v0.9, ”he said.