A Chinese company, Chang Guang Satellite Technology Co., has surpassed Elon Musk’s Starlink in satellite data transmission, achieving a record 100 Gbps speed using laser technology in December. This advancement enhances space infrastructure, benefiting areas such as Earth observation, navigation, and 6G communications.
Chang Guang successfully transmitted data at this high speed from one of its satellites to a laser reception station on Earth, a rate capable of sending 100 full-length movies in a second. This breakthrough addresses the growing challenge of processing vast amounts of observational data collected by satellites.
The company’s head of ground stations, Wang Hanghang, stated that their laser-based satellite-to-ground communication is ahead of Starlink, which has yet to deploy a similar system on a large scale. Chang Guang plans to equip its entire 117-satellite constellation with this technology and expand to 300 satellites by 2027.
The laser transmission system is not only faster but also more cost-effective and reliable, paving the way for significant advancements in satellite applications. Potential benefits include improvements in disaster monitoring, defense, smart cities, environmental protection, emergency response, and 6G satellite internet.
