Spire Establishes Two-Way Optical Link Between Satellites in Orbit

Spire Establishes Two-Way Optical Link Between Satellites in Orbit
by Clarence Oxford
Los Angeles CA (SPX) Mar 11, 2025

Spire Global, Inc. (NYSE: SPIR), a leading provider of space-based data, analytics, and space services, has successfully demonstrated a two-way optical communication link between two satellites in orbit. This milestone advances the capability of high-speed, secure, and low-latency space communications.

The satellites, launched in June 2023, are equipped with optical inter-satellite link (OISL) payloads, which use laser technology to transmit data across distances of up to 5,000 kilometers nearly instantaneously. This advancement has the potential to significantly improve applications such as global communications, weather forecasting, and remote sensing for environmental monitoring and navigation.

"Establishing a precise optical link between satellites separated by a distance equivalent to New York and London is a major achievement for Spire," said John E. Ward, Senior Director of Research and Development at Spire. "This capability places us among a select few organizations capable of deploying this advanced technology, enhancing security, reducing latency, and improving resilience for critical applications."

Thomas Carroll, Applied Optics Team Lead at Spire, emphasized the compact design of the OISL technology: "We have miniaturized what is traditionally a large optical system-normally the size of a microwave-down to a form factor comparable to a tissue box. This makes our OISL payload the smallest available on the market, allowing us to integrate it into small satellites while achieving the performance of much larger systems. This breakthrough strengthens our Space Services solutions by delivering fast, secure, and continuous data transmission."

The development of Spire's OISL technology was supported by the European Space Agency (ESA) through the Advanced Research in Telecommunications Services (ARTES) Pioneer Partnership Project, under ESA's Connectivity and Secure Communications directorate. The project received financial backing from the UK Space Agency (UKSA).

"Through our ARTES Pioneer Partnership Project, we have helped Spire develop a new OISL capability for their space data network," said Clive Edwards, ESA Pioneer Implementation Manager. "This system is poised to revolutionize satellite communications by enhancing security and efficiency in space-based data transmission."

Following this successful demonstration, Spire plans to deploy three additional LEMUR satellites equipped with OISL technology in 2025. Two of these satellites will launch via Exolaunch on SpaceX's Transporter-13 rideshare mission. Additionally, Spire will launch four more LEMUR satellites to maintain its operational constellation and support its Space Services customers. This launch is currently scheduled for no earlier than March 2025.