SSC awarded 1.1M€ contract by ESA for optical ground network initiative NODES
Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has been awarded a 1.1M€ contract by the European Space Agency (ESA) Scylight program to support the development of the optical communication project NODES (Network of Optical stations for Data transfer to Earth from Space). By developing an optical ground network for data repatriation services, SSC aims at capacitating the ground segment for the future optical communication market. As one of the first steps, SSC has placed an order to the French company Cailabs for a first ground station in Western Australia, scheduled to begin trials in early 2024. “We