European system speeds data flow with 50 000 links
Valuable data is flowing rapidly from Earth observing satellites back to the planet, thanks to the most sophisticated laser communication network ever built.
ARCHIVE CONTENT
17 JAN. 2022
publication date
5957
Views
Astronauts on board the International Space Station are connecting straight to Europe at light speed, thanks to the European Data Relay System.
An upgrade to the communications system is delivering broadband internet speeds similar to those enjoyed by families on Earth.
It means that experiments on board the International Space Station can be monitored from Europe in close to real time. Until now, data from investigations into the effects of radiation on seeds and biomining research had to be stored on hard drives and returned to Earth many months later.
Astronauts on board the International Space Station are connecting via a radio link to one of the two geostationary satellites that form the European Data Relay System. The satellite picks up signals from the Station as it loops around the Earth every 90 minutes and relays them straight back to its European base station.
The state-of-the-art system provides speeds of up to 50 Mbit/s for downlink and up to 2 Mbit/s for uplink. The communications device which enables it – nicknamed ‘ColKa’ for ‘Columbus laboratory Ka-band terminal’ – was installed during a spacewalk in January 2021.
Media modal
The Colka communications device was installed during a spacewalk
ColKa uses the European Data Relay System, which was developed as an ESA Partnership Project with satellite manufacturer Airbus, as part of ESA’s efforts to federate industry around large-scale commercial telecommunication programmes, stimulating innovative service developments to achieve economic benefits.
ESA and Airbus signed a two-year contract on 29 November 2021 to deliver data from the Station to Europe.
Colka was designed and built by British and Italian companies, using products from Belgium, Canada, France, Germany and Norway, some of which have been qualified under ESA’s Telecommunications and Integrated Applications programme of Advanced Research in Telecommunications Systems (ARTES).
Media modal
Space Station communications infographic
The knowledge gained from designing, building and running ColKa will be instrumental for ESA’s telecommunications package under the ESPRIT telecommunications and refuelling module that is being designed for the lunar Gateway – an outpost over 1000 times farther from Earth than the International Space Station that will provide vital support for a sustainable, long-term human return to the lunar surface.
Media modal
Data-relay satellite beams at light speed
The most sophisticated laser communication network ever designed has gained its second satellite.The European Data Relay System (EDRS) was built to accelerate the flow of information from Earth-observation satellites to people on the ground.
Space station to forge ultra-fast connections
Astronauts aboard the International Space Station plan to install a high-speed radio link to enable almost real-time connections with Earth.The upgrade to the ESA Columbus laboratory will relay data from experiments on the Station back to Earth almost instantaneously.The fridge-sized device will fly to the Station aboard Northrop Grumman’s 13th Cygnus supply ship on 9 February.
Share this page
stay updated
Subscribe to our newsletter to receive the latest news, mission updates, and exclusive insights directly in your inbox. Be the first to know about our upcoming projects and breakthroughs.