A team of scientists from the Institute of Optics and Precision Mechanics of the Chinese Academy of Sciences has just announced the successful testing of a new optical switch in space - a device that can completely change the process of satellite communications, thereby promoting the ability to create a global 6G network sooner.
China’s optical switch, launched into orbit on a Y-7 rocket in August 2023, is capable of transmitting optical signals directly from one point to another without the need for intermediate conversion to electronic signals. It essentially acts like a mirror, reflecting and redirecting optical rays.
Chinese scientists call this technology “space optical switching”. Notably, it has a transmission throughput of up to 40 Gb/s. For comparison, modern satellite channels typically only transmit data at a rate of 1 Gb/s.
The advantages of optical switching stem from the physical properties of light. Unlike the radio waves used in traditional satellites, light beams have a much wider frequency range. This allows significantly more data to be “packed” into a single transmitted signal.
In addition, the speed of light is much higher than that of radio waves. In particular, because there is no conversion, the signals are transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver in the minimum time.
Chinese experts say they have been working on the project for more than 10 years. According to them, the new technology is necessary for the development of next-generation ultra-high-speed networks, including ground stations and satellites in orbit. It is especially suitable for 5G and 6G networks.
However, before applying this technology in practice, a number of technical problems must be solved, the most important of which is ensuring high accuracy and stability of optical devices, as well as their reliable protection from radiation.
(according to Securitylab)
Source
Comment (0)