LCOT / LCT Laser Communication Terminal
Description
Tesat-Spacecom is a German company and world leader in free-space optical (laser) communication terminals for satellite-to-satellite and satellite-to-ground high-speed data links. Their Laser Communication Terminal (LCT) product family uses coherent optical links in the 1550 nm infrared wavelength to achieve multi-Gbps data rates over distances of thousands of kilometres through space. The SpaceBridge LCT has been operational on satellites such as Alphasat (ESA/Inmarsat, 2013) and on the German satellite-based high-speed internet system (EDRS, European Data Relay System). EDRS uses TESAT LCTs to relay data from Sentinel Earth observation satellites to ground at 1.8 Gbps, enabling near-real-time global data coverage. TESAT LCTs are also being deployed on ESA HOPS and on commercial GEO relay satellites. The company is based in Backnang, Germany and is a subsidiary of Airbus Defence & Space.