some recent press on AstroTerra
tmf-web.jpl.nasa.gov
Lightreading article compares AstroTerra to competition
lightreading.com
AstroTerra Corporation's One Gigabit Per Second Laser Communication Satellite System Successfully Launched
Laser Communication Satellite Experiment is First of its Kind
San Diego, CA - June 7, 2000 - AstroTerra Corporation announced today that its founding project, the Space Technology Research Vehicle-2 (STRV-2) satellite-to-ground laser communication experiment was successfully launched into low earth orbit. The STRV-2 is the first satellite-to-ground experiment capable of transmitting information at gigabit speeds over a distance of two thousand kilometers.
The experiment’s objective is to establish a high-bandwidth laser communication link between a low earth orbit (LEO) satellite and a fixed ground station, currently located at Table Mountain, California, with slant ranges up to 2000 km and data rates up to 1.0 Gbps. Beginning June 20, 2000, AstroTerra Corporation and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), Pasadena, CA, will conduct testing on the laser communication experiment.
The STRV-2 laser project, which was funded by the Ballistic Missile Defense Organization and the US Army Space and Missile Defense command, allowed AstroTerra Corporation to develop the expertise necessary to design and produce a commercial line of laser communication systems that provide high-speed connectivity for enterprise networks. The advanced features of AstroTerra’s TerraLink wireless laser communication product line are elements taken directly from the satellite research.
"This has really been a unique opportunity for AstroTerra," commented Isaac Kim, AstroTerra’s Director of Research and Development. "The government’s sponsorship of the STRV-2 satellite laser communication experiment has allowed AstroTerra to invest a tremendous amount of time and resources into developing a technologically superior commercial product. It’s exciting to see how successful both projects have been."
The satellite, which is part of the U.S. Air Force's Tri-Service Experiments Mission 5, was launched from Vandeberg Air Force Base by a Pegasus rocket this morning at 6:20 Pacific Standard Time. |
