Project Illuminate Ph2 Archangel Lightworks has designed, built and tested a world leading Satellite Optical Gateway called TERRA-M. This satellite communications ground station offers a step change in global connectivity; bandwidth & security compared to conventional solutions. TERRA-M is rapidly deployable, software defined and multi-mission by design and is a key enabling technology for a global SatCom service for Earth Observation, Telecommunications, Data Centre and defence customers. Project Illuminate Ph2 will take the TERRA-M unit developed in Phase1 of the Future Telecoms Challenge and deploy it to a representative site for an intensive test campaign to validate the system under a range of conditions.

Satellite operators are suffering from limited access to radio spectrum, bandwidth constraints, and security concerns when trying to send data from their satellites to the ground. Infostellar and Archangel Lightworks intend to develop a joint service offering to solve this valuable problem. Infostellar has a ground-station-as-a-service (GaaS) platform called StellarStation. Archangel Lightworks has an Optical Ground Station (OGS) called TERRA-M. By onboarding the TERRA-M onto StellarStation, the partners will be able to offer a first of a kind optical-ground-station-as-a-service (OGaaS) model to global satellite operators. Infostellar and Archangel Lightworks will use the EUREKA funding to build and implement the proposed joint service offering, including an end-to-end service demonstration. The demonstration will showcase a high-rate space-to-ground data transfer from a satellite in orbit that has scheduled its pass on Infostellar's StellarStation platform and used a laser terminal to downlink data to Archangel Lightworks' TERRA-M optical ground station. Please visit https://www.infostellar.net/ and https://www.archangel.works to learn more.

The STARLASE project will develop a world-first "multi-mission capable" high-power optical transceiver to address the global need for high-speed optical modems and high-power laser amplifiers to underpin the expanding Space Based Laser Communications market. This market is growing exponentially, forecast to exceed £3.4 Billion by 2031 and is fast becoming an essential part of global communications infrastructure The number of satellites on orbit is projected to grow from ~5,000 to 50,000 in the next decade, the majority of which will use lasers for satellite communications. Laser communication will be used to move vast amounts of data in orbit and then to beam that data back to Earth, directly into existing ground fibre networks. Laser communications will enhance security, reduce delays and augment existing radiofrequency-based systems. The expectation is that Lasercomm will help deliver wide socio-economic benefits to a global audience, many of whom do not yet have reliable ground-based internet access. Large numbers of compact, portable, low-cost Optical Ground Stations (OGS) are critical to enable satellite-to-Earth data transfer globally because this guarantees that satellites can always see an OGS somewhere in the region of interest.The STARLASE project addresses the urgent need for low-cost, compact and power-efficient electro-optic modules that will enable a UK sovereign capability and global leadership in the rapidly growing Space Laser Communications market.

The convergence of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks represents a major market opportunity which the UK is well-placed to take advantage of. Non-terrestrial networks have the potential to add capacity and redundancy into terrestrial networks, unlocking additional revenue streams. Industry bodies like 3GPP are calling for the integration of terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks in their future architectures. However, this convergence of networks will require the creation of higher capacity links between terrestrial and non-terrestrial networks. Project Illuminate will develop bidirectional telecommunications capability for Archangel Lightworks' TERRA-M Optical Ground Station (OGS) to demonstrate high-volume, optical backhaul links between terrestrial and non-terrestrial network nodes. Founded in 2017, Archangel Lightworks is an Oxford-based technology company which is developing the TERRA-M Optical Ground Station and other deployable laser communications products. Archangel Lightworks has developed its technology with support from multiple partners including the UK Space Agency, the European Space Agency, InnovateUK, the UK Ministry of Defence, Catalyst Campus, Harwell Campus, the Starburst Accelerator, and many others.

Laser communications (LC) and quantum key distribution (QKD) between satellites and optical ground stations (OGS) are a key constituent of future secure communication architectures. LC is used for transmitting data at high speed, e.g. backbone interconnects or downlinking large datasets. QKD is a method for sharing encryption keys, e.g. to allow for secure communications links between satellites and optical ground station (OGS) sites. While the data used in the two methods are quite different, the technology and customers are often similar, e.g. datacentres, telcos and governments. In this QLOGS project, SpeQtral and Archangel Lightworks will explore this overlap both in terms of the use cases as well as the technical developments required to fulfil them.

Major organisations rely on strong encryption, including the process of encryption key agreement. Future quantum computers have the potential to compromise key agreement schemes based on asymmetric encryption and widely deployed Public Key Infrastructure. Over long distances and without quantum repeaters, Business Continuity (BC) can be maintained if commercially and technically viable Satellite Quantum Key Distribution (SatQKD) becomes available in time. Current free space optical approaches are not considered commercially viable because they can only operate at night time and in clear sky conditions; and by waiting for overhead satellites in Low Earth Orbit. The future BC market, anticipated to be worth billions of pounds, will be addressed by this project through accelerated commercialisation of the SatQKD technologies necessary for operation during daylight hours, cloudy skies and other weather conditions. The project will combine and align technical developments from UK SME's within a system context from Airbus: a major provider of UK-developed secure satellite communication systems. The objective of this project is to prepare new modular flexible system architectures, technology landscape surveys and technology development roadmaps for lower cost, longer range, free space optical quantum communications directed towards institutional and commercial customers. The primary focus of Innovation in this project is to extend the envelope of Satellite-to-Ground QKD operations beyond the current state of the art: to enable daytime operation, cloud tolerance and reach key distribution rates several orders of magnitude faster than existing demonstrators. The project will influence and enhance the coherence of academic research, SME developments, and prime system integration readiness for operational quantum secured communications.

Novel concentrators investigated and proven, exploring several prototype production methodologies to show feasibility

This project will develop a prototype laser receiver terminals for future integration into HAPS aircraft, allowing reliable, high bandwidth data download from LEO satellites.