Successful tests of optical mesh network in low Earth orbit
After demonstrating 100 Gbps optical links between its prototype satellites, Amazon’s Project Kuiper will include laser links on every satellite in its constellation to form a mesh network in space
Since the launch and deployment of two prototype satellites in October 2023, Project Kuiper has been conducting extensive testing of its end-to-end communications payload and network. In November, we confirmed Amazon validated all priority systems and subsystems within 30 days of launch, and shared a first look at demos over the Kuiper network. One critical system that was part of that testing—but has remained confidential until now—was the optical inter-satellite link (OISL) capabilities.
The prototype satellites, KuiperSat-1 and KuiperSat-2, include advanced optical communications payloads. Amazon completed multiple successful demonstrations of that next-generation technology, maintaining 100 gigabits per second (Gbps) links over a distance of nearly 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) for the entire test window. These tests validated the final component of Project Kuiper’s advanced communications architecture, and the results ensure that OISLs will be operational on ther first production satellites, slated for launch in the first half of 2024.
“With optical inter-satellite links across our satellite constellation, Project Kuiper will effectively operate as a mesh network in space,” said Rajeev Badyal, Project Kuiper’s vice president of technology. “This system is designed fully in-house to optimize for speed, cost, and reliability, and the entire architecture has worked flawlessly from the very start. These immediate results are only possible because we approached our OISL architecture as one part of a fully integrated system design, and it’s a testament to this team’s willingness to invent on behalf of customers. We’re excited to be able to support these next-generation OISL capabilities on every Kuiper satellite from day one.”
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