Xen-Hub
Xenesis
Space-based optical (laser) communications flight terminal delivering full-duplex data rates above 10 Gbps.
Technical specifications
- Data rate
- >10 Gbps
- Optical aperture options
- 7 cm or 3.5 cm diameter (full-duplex)
- Mass
- ~10-15 kg
- Power consumption
- ~60-80 W
- Service life
- 5 years
- Standards compliance
- SDA OCTv3.1 / OCTv4.0 optical terminal standards
About
The Xen-Hub is Xenesis’s space-qualified optical communications terminal, designed to be integrated onto satellites to provide high-bandwidth laser downlink/uplink capability in place of, or alongside, traditional RF systems. It is built from three core modules: an electronics/photonic modem module, an optical head module, and an EDFA (erbium-doped fiber amplifier) optical amplifier module.
Two optical assemblies (offered in 7 cm and 3.5 cm diameter apertures) enable simultaneous full-duplex transmission and reception. The terminal has been developed and refined through partnerships including a 2018 miniaturization and space-qualification effort with Georgia Tech, and manufacturing by Space Micro Inc. (a Voyager Space company).
Xen-Hub was demonstrated in orbit via a 2020 Airbus-brokered payload flight to the ISS Bartolomeo external platform. It has since been selected by the U.S. Space Development Agency for Phase 1 and Phase 2 contracts as part of SDA’s push toward standardized, interoperable optical crosslink terminals.
Documentation
No public datasheet yet — request the datasheet / ICD from the supplier.
