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Skyloom is a developer of an optical data transfer network designed to enhance high-capacity communications for satellite constellations. The company's infrastructure is based on optical communication technology and relay satellites placed in geostationary orbit. Skyloom's infrastructure is to drastically increase space-to-Earth bandwidth and provide 24x7, high-capacity communication services for low Earth orbit constellations.
Skyloom's architecture solution uses relay satellites in a geostationary orbit to act as a communication relay between satellites in low Earth orbit and an optical ground station. The relay is intended to increase the overall data transfer capability and, through optical communication technology, increase the speed at which that data can travel.
Example of Skyloom's architecture and infrastructure model.
Satellite communication providers have explored the possibility of using higher-frequency RF bands, like the V band that is less crowded than other frequency bands. Skyloom's satellite communication network works to communicate without the frequency bands, unlike many of the other communication satellites in geostationary or low Earth orbits.
Similar to the use of fiber optic internet, which can move tens of terabits of data per second, the use of optical communication in orbital satellites is intended to increase the speed of space-based communications. The first demonstration of the possibility of using optical or laser communications in space was demonstrated in space in the 1990s. However, complications due to the difficulties of pointing and tracking narrow beams over great distances while dealing with atmospheric challenges, such as cloud cover or turbulence, slowed the adoption of laser communication technology. However, in 2013 NASA demonstrated a 622 Mb per second error-free data downlink from the moon to Earth using laser communications. And NASA and the European Space Agency have, as of 2016, deployed laser communication systems.
The promise of laser transmitters is that they can break through the bottleneck of radio frequency communications and data transfers. This is because laser transmitters can work at wavelengths around 10,000 times shorter than RF waves in beams far narrower for a similar aperture size. Which means the laser communications system provides a more concentrated communications beam with lower required power from apertures, allowing those to be made smaller and lighter.
A possible use case Skyloom demonstrates for their optical relay communication is to move communications from a geostationary communication satellite to an internet-providing low Earth orbit satellite in order to increase upload and download speeds. And to transmit images from an imaging satellite faster than sending those images through frequency bands. In both use cases, Skyloom suggests moving the low Earth orbit satellite's communications through Skyloom's optical satellites, which would be faster and maintain signal integrity better than the radio frequency communications most of those satellites are using.
Cailabs and Skyloom announced a partnership to work together to build the optical satellite communications. Cailabs is a developer of light shaping technology, which would help with Skyloom aiming their optical communications.
